• Midwest Farm Conservation Survey

  • Pollinator Partnership (a 501c3 nonprofit) is conducting this survey with the USDA to learn about Midwest growers’ preferences for on-farm conservation programs. Responses will be used to improve programs offered by the USDA.

    To qualify to take this survey, you must currently own and/or manage farmland in at least one of the following states:

    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
    • Ohio
    • Wisconsin

    The survey should take about 15 minutes. Please complete the survey only once.

    You are encouraged to participate in this survey whether or not you have already participated in USDA or other conservation programs. Your responses will not identify you individually; results will be aggregated and anonymized when presented.

    If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Jordan Phelps (jordan@pollinator.org) or Vicki Wojcik (vw@pollinator.org) at Pollinator Partnership. Your input really matters. Thank you.

    Please click the button below to start the survey.

     

    OMB Control Number: 0503-0024 (expires 05/31/2029)

    Public Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0503-0024 and the collection is voluntary. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden by emailing to: askusda@usda.gov.

  • This set of questions is about you and your farm.

  • Which best describes your role in the farming operation? (Select all that apply)*
  • Are you responsible for day-to-day decision making on the land you manage?*
  • In which state is your farm located? (Select all that apply)*
  • How many total acres of farm or ranch land do you manage? (both in and out of current production)*
  • Which of the following best describes your primary agricultural activities? (Select all that apply)*
  • What do you grow or raise on your farm? (Select all that apply)*
  • How would you describe your operation’s production practices? (Select all that apply)*
  • How interested are you in on-farm habitat conservation programs?*

  • This next set of questions asks about your experience with conservation activities on the farmland that you manage in the Midwest.

  • Which of the following on-farm habitat conservation programs, if any, do you know about? (Select all that apply)*
  • Which of the following on-farm habitat conservation programs, if any, have you ever participated in? (Select all that apply)*

  • The following questions will be about the Conservation Reserve Program.

  • Please read this description of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and answer the questions that follow.

    The Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) pays an annual rental per acre for land removed from production and placed into conservation cover for 10 to 15 years. The annual rental payment is determined by several factors, but the typical payment in the Midwest is between $125 and $250 per acre depending on the state. Up to 50% of the establishment cost is shared, including seeds, equipment, and contractors. The long-term goal of CRP is to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the loss of wildlife habitat, including pollinator habitat.

  • Based on this description, how likely would you be to enroll some of your acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program?*
  • Does the description of CRP that we provided match what you know about CRP?*
  • Which of the following are reasons why you did not or would not enroll land in CRP? (Select all that apply)*
  • What is the minimum annual rental payment per acre that would motivate you to enroll your land in CRP?*
  • What is the minimum cost share percentage for establishing conservation practices that would motivate you to enroll your land in CRP?*
  • What is the maximum length of time that you would consider enrolling your land in CRP?*
  • Which of the following would make you more likely to participate in CRP? (Select all that apply)*
  • Rows

  • This set of questions is about your experience with CRP.

  • Based on your experience, how satisfied were you or are you (if still enrolled) with the Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)?*
  • Rows
  • How would you rate the process of enrolling land in CRP?*
  • Are you currently participating in CRP*
  • When did you last participate in CRP?*
  • How likely are you to re-enroll land in CRP in the future?*
  • Were any of the following factors important in your decision to stop participating in CRP? (Select all that apply)*
  • Rows
  • What is the minimum annual rental payment per acre that would motivate you to re-enroll your land in CRP?*
  • What is the minimum cost-share percentage for establishing conservation practices that would motivate you to re-enroll your land in CRP?*
  • What is the maximum length of time that you would consider re-enrolling your land in CRP?*
  • Have you ever included pollinator-focused conservation practices (such as CP42 - Pollinator habitat) as part of your current or past CRP enrollment?*
  • Which pollinator-supportive practices have you included as part of your current or past CRP enrollment?*
  • Rows
  • Rows
  • How important is pollination to the success of your operation?*
  • How worried are you that pollinator declines will negatively affect your operation?*
  • Another focus of conservation is the health of monarch butterflies. Would a Midwest-focused program to help monarch conservation on farmland be of interest to you?*
  • How will the new proposed listing of the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) influence your adoption of conservation practices?*
  • How worried are you about droughts or limited water availability in your region?*
  • How does this concern affect your willingness to plant pollinator forage or conservation acres?*
  • Which types of agricultural conservation programs do you prefer? (Select all that apply)*
  • What percentage of the land that you manage might you be willing to put into habitat conservation programs, if any?*

  • You are almost done! We just have one more brief set of questions about you and your farm.

  • Do you own the land that you manage?*
  • How is your farming operation organized?*
  • Which of the following best describes your total sales in the prior fiscal year?
  • What is your primary occupation*
  • What is your place of residence?*
  • How many years have you been farming?*
  • How many years have you been involved with your current farming operation?*
  • What is your age?
  • What is your sex?

  • The following applies to the final question(s): 

    System Of Records Notice: USDA maintains the Applicant/Borrower USDA/FSA-14 Privacy Act system of records to collect and manage information on current, former, and prospective applicants and borrowers who are agricultural producers in the United States including members of entities. The mission of FSA is to deliver federal farm program benefits and loans to farm and ranch owners and operators to support farms and ranches, protect the environment, and enhance the marketing of agricultural products. The system of records covers information regarding current, former, and prospective applicants, and current and former borrowers.

    On behalf of USDA/FSA, Pollinator Partnership will be collecting socioeconomic and demographic data from current, former, and prospective FSA program applicants for the purpose of informing conservation programming relating to pollinators. Data are collected through a secured electronic survey platform and will be shared with USDA/FSA in accordance to the Privacy Act System of Records titled Applicant/Borrower USDA/FSA-14. Data and records will not be reported in any way that can identify an individual or a farm; the results will be presented only in aggregate form.

    Pollinator Partnership has implemented and maintains reasonable security procedures and practices to protect against the unauthorized access, use, modification, destruction or disclosure of data and records.

  • May we contact you if we have further questions about your perspective on conservation and CRP?*

  • Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your responses will allow us to develop a report that advises government administrators about ways to best support Midwest growers in creating habitat on farms.

    Again, your responses will not be reported in any way that can identify you as an individual or as a farm; the results will be presented only in aggregate form.

    If you want to contact us with comments or questions about this survey, please email Jordan Phelps (jordan@pollinator.org) or Vicki Wojcik (vw@pollinator.org) at Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org).

     

    Privacy Statement: The following statement is made in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a – as amended). The authority for requesting the information identified on this form is the Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99-198), which was amended by the 2018 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 115-334). The information will be used to support institutional resource development and optimize the capacity of the agency to engage in pollinator support. The information collected on this form may be disclosed to State Departments of Agriculture in Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri that have been authorized access to the information by statute or regulation and/or as described in applicable Routine Uses identified in the System of Records Notice for USDA/FSA-14, Applicant/Borrower. Providing the requested information is voluntary. However, failure to furnish the requested information in whole or in part may result in an invalid record; invalid records will not be included in summary and analysis.

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