Gov. Kelly Armstrong, left, announces the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program on Jan. 29, 2026, with Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. (Photo by Jacob Orledge/North Dakota Monitor)
By: Jacob Orledge
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota is creating a pilot program to encourage landowners to convert less productive agricultural land into grass habitat for wildlife.
The program aims to improve soil health, reduce erosion and enhance water quality. But Gov. Kelly Armstrong said the biggest winners of the program will be the landowners who will be compensated for taking barely profitable cropland out of production and the hunters who will have access to additional wildlife habitat.
“We’re really excited about it,” Armstrong said during a press conference Thursday. “We have a real chance here to do something pretty special, and it matters. It matters a lot to a lot of people all across the state.”
The initiative will pay farmers to take marginally profitable cropland out of production and plant perennial grasses. Landowners can be eligible for additional payments if they allow hunters access through the state’s existing Private Lands Open To Sportsmen system. The initial funding is sufficient for up to 10,000 acres to be replaced with grass habitats.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department partnered with the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts to secure $4.3 million from the state Outdoor Heritage Fund and $2.2 million in matching contributions for the pilot program. The goal, if the program succeeds, is to secure funding to implement the initiative on a larger scale.
Tyler Stafslien, a member of the North Dakota Farmers Union board, said this is the perfect opportunity to support wildlife and agricultural producers.
“It’s a great program. We’re living in a reality of low commodity prices, high inputs, and some of these acres that we’re talking about being enrolled in this program are not productive,” Stafslien said.
Justin Sherlock, president of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association, said the ideal acres of land eligible for the program are small portions of a field that are less productive. He said he’s hopeful this conservation program will be better implemented, and more nimble in response to concerns, than like-minded federal initiatives.
“So many of the conservation programs that exist are federal and there are issues,” Sherlock said. “The intent is always good, I think, but the implementation and how producers are impacted by the rules or the regulations that they’re then tied to often get in the way.”
Stafslien said he can’t help but think of the times he’s worked on particular corners of his fields in western North Dakota that he knows aren’t turning a profit.
“And as I farm those acres, I see that I’m spending dollars on some of that land that is not returning anything to me,” Stafslien said.
The program will involve five-year agreements between landowners and the state. The base annual payments to landowners will be determined by the average rental rate in the county. Additional payments could include a flat $100 per acre payment to help cover seeding costs, a $10 per acre reduction for crop insurance premiums and $15 per acre incentive if the landowner chooses to allow public access to the property.
“This program has to make economic sense for our producers,” Armstrong said.
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said much of North Dakota’s soil is being compromised or impacted by excess moisture, affecting the types of crops farmers can plant. But this program gives farmers an alternative.
“I think it has a lot of merit,” Goehring said. “I’d encourage legislators going forward to be supportive of this.”
Jeb Williams, director of the Game and Fish Department, acknowledged the program does not require participating farmers to open their land up to public access. But he’s hopeful they will be able to connect farmers willing to do so with this program and he encouraged anyone with concerns to reach out and start a dialogue to ensure the program works for everyone involved.
“The work starts now,” Williams said. “We know that there might be some kinks in this that we need to work out. We’re open to that.”
The governor also pointed out how important hunting and outdoors activities are as a workforce recruitment tool.
“As we have kids that leave North Dakota and want to come back, this is a huge way in which we can offer some things for them to do,” Armstrong, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, said. “But we can’t do that if we don’t have the habitat.”
The program will accept applications from agricultural producers between Feb. 2 and March 27. Applicants can contact their local soil conservation district at NDASCD.com. The governor said he expects there to be a lot of interest.
“I’m hopeful that we run out of money fast,” Armstrong said.
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