Pheasant Fact Friday!💡 Look around at farms and roadsides. See any standing grass from last year? The hen is looking too for an idle grassy area. If last year was dry, nearly every blade of grass was cut, and where can the hens nest? Alfalfa fields may be the only cover available. But the alfalfa’s peak nutritional value is reached during the last few days of egg incubation, so swathing will destroy 90% of the nests. Hens prefer grass fields that 1) are 20 acres, 2) have been idle for less than 5 years old, and 3) have last year’s dead grass standing upright. More hens will nest (per acre) in a 20 acre field than anything smaller or larger. As the idle stand ages, dead grass lodges and becomes too thick. Mow or graze the stand every 5 years to get rid of the dead litter. Mow or graze more frequently if the grass does not stand well under winter snows. Bromegrass falls easily under snow, and must be mowed or grazed more frequently than switchgrass which stands well under snow. #pheasantsforever #pheasant #pheasants #pheasantfactfriday

Join us , Pheasants Forever , and Quail Forever this May at your local Hands-On Habitat event. This is a chance for all of us to put boots on the ground, get our hands dirty, and prove that we are on the sharp end of the conservation shovel. Learn more at the link in our story: https:// pheasantsforever.org/HandsOnHabitat

Today, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are applauding action by Agriculture Committee leadership in both the U.S. Senate and the House to put forward their proposals for a 2024 Farm Bill, with Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) unveiling the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act and House Committee on Agriculture Chair Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) releasing his committee’s Farm Bill overview. While there is still much work to do, these proposals appear to support farmers, sportsmen and women, and rural communities by strengthening popular, voluntary conservation programs, increasing access to the great outdoors, and preserving working lands and wildlife habitat for future generations. Both Chairwoman Stabenow and Chairman Thompson’s bills would bring funding from the Inflation Reduction Act into the Farm Bill and provide a historic, permanent investment in voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are thankful to see some of the organization’s top priorities being addressed in Senator Stabenow’s Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. These include strengthening the Conservation Reserve Program by incorporating the provisions of the bipartisan, bicameral CRP Improvement Act, reauthorizing and funding the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) and including provisions to support nationwide conservation of America’s grasslands. Learn more about the progress being made regarding the 2024 Farm Bill at the link below. https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Pheasants-Forever/Pheasants-Forever-and-Quail-Forever-Thrilled-about-Congressional-Movement-Today-Around-New-Farm-Bill.aspx

With turkey season in full swing across most of the country, don’t hesitate to bring along someone new as you head out in pursuit of a bird! Your mentee can be any age, they just need to be new to hunting or out of the game for a few years. You can take the Hunter Mentor Pledge and send in your turkey hunting story from this season to win a guided upland hunt for two! The pledge isn’t just for upland birds, all legal forms of hunting are eligible. Submit your story and photos at pheasantsforever.org/mentorpledge to be entered to win! The Hunter Mentor Pledge is presented in partnership with ALPS OutdoorZ

The perfect spring/summer camp shirt is here! Pheasants need quality habitat that provides the right food sources, winter cover, and diverse grasslands for nesting and rearing young. Spring is when it all starts. Donate today and give back to the birds when they need it most! For a limited time donate $45 or more and receive the Pheasants Forever Relaxed-Fit Performance Long Sleeve as our “thank you” for your ongoing support of our wildlife habitat conservation mission. Link to get yours today! https://pheasantsforever.org/SpecialPages/Special-Memberships/2024-Spring-Donation-Appeal.aspx