North Dakota program seeks to transform less productive cropland into wildlife habitat

  • 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)
    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)

    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 …