Producers have until April 28 to apply for Open Fields or other lease options administered through the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program. Producers can submit their application now, even though they may not know the status of this year’s CRP bid. By getting applications in early, UGBEP can better prepare to work with producers who may learn of their CRP status later this summer. Funding

The Private Land/Public Wildlife Advisory Committee will meet Thursday, April 27, at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks headquarters and via Zoom from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The 13-member advisory committee, appointed by the governor, is charged with reviewing FWP’s access programs and offering recommendations to help achieve program goals and maintaining good relations between hunters and landowners.

Montana’s spring turkey season opened on Saturday, April 15. Southeast Montana’s turkey populations are relatively stable across the region and handled the drought conditions well, according to FWP Region 7 upland game bird biologist Justin Hughes. However, populations of turkeys that are more isolated on the plains in mediocre habitat will be impacted more by recent weather patterns than turkeys

Applications for the State Hail Insurance Program are now available through the Montana Department of Agriculture. Producers can insure crops against hail damage at the maximum coverage rate of $75 per acre for dryland and $114 per acre for irrigated land. Rates charged are a percentage of the insured amount and vary by county. A detailed list of rates by county and crop can be found online

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing changes to the Wildlife Habitat Conservation Lease Program and is seeking public comment on a supplemental environmental assessment. A habitat conservation lease is a voluntary, incentive-based agreement between FWP and private landowners in which the landowner agrees to land management practices that protect wildlife habitat and FWP pays the landowner