Incentives Available for Grassland-Friendly Farm Practices

The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is pleased to launch the annual incentives program for landowners and farmers! Now through Nov. 30, farmers in 16 counties across the northern Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley who delay their first spring cutting of hay, or stockpile forage for the summer on select fields (or both), can receive payments. These practices protect Virginia’s grassland birds during the critical spring nesting season.

The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative is a collaborative effort of The Piedmont Environmental Council, Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, Quail Forever, American Farmland Trust and Shenandoah Valley Conservancy to restore grassland habitats using regenerative agricultural practices. These practices have been proven to benefit both birds and agricultural operations. With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, VGBI provides tools and technical assistance and pays farmers up to $40 per acre in exchange for: 1) delaying the first cut of hay until July 1 or later; and/or 2) rotating livestock out of select fields between April 15 and July 1 or later.  

_{Illustration by Nick Garnhart/Smithsonian}