Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) award strengthens partnerships with rice producers while improving critical waterfowl habitat 

For generations, Arkansas has been recognized as one of America’s premier waterfowl hunting destinations. That reputation depends on more than abundant waterfowl, however. It also relies on a landscape of working farms, healthy wetlands, and private landowners willing to play a leading role in conservation. A recent $2.1 million investment through the USDA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) will help ensure that tradition continues.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission was awarded funding in July to continue its highly successful Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement (WRICE) Program, which provides financial incentives to rice producers located near wildlife management areas and national wildlife refuges in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) and Arkansas River Valley. Through voluntary annual agreements, participating landowners implement practices focused on creating quality habitat while opening their properties to public access. AGFC plans to contract approximately 12,000 acres of rice fields and 3,000 acres of Wetland Reserve Easement properties through the WRICE program over the next three years. This will equate to almost 50 additional waterfowl hunting locations available each year to the public through a limited draw process. 

“We are in the final stages of contracting properties for the 2026-27 waterfowl season.,” said David Graves, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s WRICE program coordinator. “If all goes to plan, we will execute contracts with 13 rice producers and three WRE landowners to lock in 3,602 acres of rice fields and 967 acres of WRE ground. These contracts will equate to 47 hunting locations around the state this year.”

Addressing Regional Issues with Conservation Solutions

Across the MAV, access to quality waterfowl hunting continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing sportsmen and women. Overcrowding at popular management areas and elevated hunting lease costs have made access challenging for hunters. At the same time, changing agricultural practices and a reduction in rice production acres have reduced the availability of winter-flooded habitat that migrating ducks have depended upon for decades. Programs like WRICE demonstrate that conservation and agriculture can work hand in hand.  

“The program is also highly sought after by rice producers looking to make some additional money from rice acreage,” said Graves.

By helping rice producers offset the costs of managing fields for wildlife, the program creates seasonal habitat that provides critical food and resting areas for migrating waterfowl, while simultaneously expanding opportunities for public hunting.

Benefits of this voluntary incentive approach extend to several groups:

• Hunters gain access to quality public waterfowl hunting opportunities on private lands.
• Rice producers receive financial incentives that reward conservation stewardship practices.
• Waterfowl benefit from additional winter habitat located within key migration corridors.
• Water retention on rice fields over the winter can reduce flood impacts and improve water quality in the river basins.
• Rural communities benefit from increased outdoor recreation and hunting-related spending.

The program has proven to provide quality experiences through its managed hunting schedule and draw systems that equate to convenient and productive access for hunters and birdwatchers. The popularity of the opportunities created through the WRICE program continually grows each year. Graves said that during the 2025-26 waterfowl season, an average of 686 hunters applied to hunt WRICE fields each week, compared to 467 and 536 hunters during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, respectively. 

Program Draws New Hunters, Benefits Working Farms

Not only is the WRICE program gaining popularity among seasoned waterfowl hunters, but it is also being used to recruit new waterfowl hunters and reactivate hunters into a popular recreation opportunity. According to AGFC, this past year, 9.7% of draw recipients took a “first-time hunter” with them to one of the WRICE fields, 19.4% of the recipients took a “first-time waterfowl hunter,” and 22.6% took a relapsed hunter. 

While it is well known that the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership strongly supports and advocates public land funding and quality access, it is important to point out that private lands also are an essential component – perhaps the most important component – of conservation efforts in the MAV. Programs like VPA-HIP, a voluntary Farm Bill program, recognize that landowners, especially agricultural producers, are among the nation’s most important conservation partners. The TRCP believes these federal investments encourage voluntary stewardship that keeps America’s working farms productive while delivering measurable wildlife benefits. 

This announcement from USDA presents a great opportunity to highlight how successful partnerships function between farmers, conservation organizations, state wildlife agencies, and the USDA through Farm Bill programs. VPA-HIP demonstrates how voluntary conservation programs can deliver substantial benefits for wildlife, hunters, and rural economies alike.

The TRCP applauds the USDA and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for continuing to invest in voluntary, incentive-based conservation that benefits both working lands and the sporting community. As demand for quality hunting opportunities continues to grow, programs like VPA-HIP, and specifically WRICE, offer a proven model for expanding public access while strengthening habitat across the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Continued support for these partnerships will help ensure future generations can experience Arkansas’s rich waterfowl hunting traditions.

Banner image courtesy Cason Short

The Hunter & Angler’s Guide to the Farm Bill

It can be difficult to understand all the acronyms tied to Farm Bill conservation programs and why the reauthorization and improvement of this legislation is a top priority. In The Hunter & Anglers Guide to the Farm Bill, we demystify the Farm Bill and the crucial conservations programs that sportsmen and women should care about.