Going from Ag to Wildlife Exemption

[Fargus]

How difficult is it to go from an ag exemption to a wildlife exemption? Is it even possible?

I don't know much about either and am trying to do some research for our landowner.

[DUKFVR]

It is no problem. Best way is to get with county TPWD biologist. They will help you write a plan & get you rolling. Don't know if it is all counties or some,but we had to wait a year after buying our place to switch to wildlife.

[Stan R]

Depends on the county? Call the central appraisal district for that county.

[Deer Tracks]

Best thing to do is call the CAD office and ask. Every county is a little different. Many have a minimum acreage requirement.
You have until April 30th to apply for a 1-D-1 if you are already ag exempt.

I didn’t need a biologist to complete the 1-D-1 wildlife form. It isn’t overly complicated. If you have ever participated in any kind of game management program for a ranch or deer lease, you can come up with a plan for your property. After you are approved, you have to do some work in 3 of 7 areas and file annual reports, but it it super easy. We do predator control , supplemental feed , and brush control. I keep receipts for all expenses and keep track of when we do brush management, what method and how many acres. If we shoot a hog or coyote we take a picture with our cell phones.

[Fargus]

It is no problem. Best way is to get with county TPWD biologist. They will help you write a plan & get you rolling. Don't know if it is all counties or some,but we had to wait a year after buying our place to switch to wildlife.

Depends on the county? Call the central appraisal district for that county.

Alright, sounds like I have a good place to start

[HogHunter34]

We just applied for it in Anderson County. We were 1-d-1 Ag/timber the past 15+ years. County website has a 1-d-1 open space wildlife form to complete. They require to submit a wildlife management plan which you can access on TPWD website for the Ecoregion you are in. Our county was in the Pineywoods ecoregion. There are 7 main wildlife activities but you only have to do a minimum of 3.
Like others said start at your county CAD site

[slabnabbin]

We contacted the local NRCS agency and they came out to look at our place and wrote the wildlife plan for free. Document what we do each year and turn it into the CAD.


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[Fargus]

we contacted the local nrcs agency and they came out to look at our place and wrote the wildlife plan for free. Document what we do each year and turn it into the cad.


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nrcs?

[glen]

Years ago I would tell you do songbirds as your focus- Now I will say the route to go is bee hives

Easiest and cheapest and also lots of new regulations making bee hives very easy

[Fargus]

Years ago I would tell you do songbirds as your focus- Now I will say the route to go is bee hives

Easiest and cheapest and also lots of new regulations making bee hives very easy

I looked at beehives, but they want acreage between 5 and 20. Does that mean we would need hives every 20 acres? Or would they be able to put enough hives in one area to cover the entire property?

[glen]

Talk to your county agent. If bee hives don’t work go songbirds. Trust me it is a lot easier than for larger critters. You will have a list. You can make houses out of 2 liter bottles- plant food plots for all critters- kill fire ants and other predators- You can manage for deer but have your exemption for songbirds

[DUKFVR]

Talk to your county agent. If bee hives don’t work go songbirds. Trust me it is a lot easier than for larger critters. You will have a list. You can make houses out of 2 liter bottles- plant food plots for all critters- kill fire ants and other predators- You can manage for deer but have your exemption for songbirds

This is what we did on our place.

[hog_down]

nrcs?

Natural
Resource
Conservation
Service

[El General]

Here is the TPWD site with general information.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/private/agricultural_land/

The rules, and how they are enforced vary greatly from county to county. I would go by and talk to the people in the county tax assessor/collector's office (or that is what I would have done pre-COVID). You don't need to necessarily talk to the tax assessor/collector him or herself. There will usually be someone in the office that handles these and she will be able to tell you what you need to know.

I would find out what is required once the conversion is done to maintain that status year over year in your county. Pictures? Site visit by county officials? Electronic submittal? Hard copy submittal?

I'd also remember that tax assessor/collectors are elected officials and things can change if a new person is elected.

[slabnabbin]

nrcs?

Natural resource conservation service. They are usually in the same building as the USDA office.


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