California Waterfowl's Delayed Cereal Grain Harvest Program incentivizes farmers to delay harvesting cereal grain fields, allowing ground-nesting birds to hatch and fledge safely. Cereal grain fields, such as winter wheat and triticale, can play an important role as 'surrogate uplands.' It is a sub-program of the Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program (NBHIP).
Eligibility
Eligible crops are wheat, triticale, oat, barley, and rye. Eligibility criteria: minimum 20 acres; at least 75% crop cover with 8+ inch average height; summer water within 1 mile of the field; and located in Central Valley planning regions. Fields must not be harvested before July 15th.
Details
Deadline
March 29, 2026
Organization
Financial Instrument
Cost Share
Payment Rate
$50.00–$75.00 per acre, per year
Terms
Incentive payments (2025 season) by monitoring level: Standard $50/acre (biologist monitoring from levees/roads only); Monitoring A $65/acre (on-foot rope-drag nest searching); Monitoring B $75/acre (ATV-based rope-drag nest searching).
Application Instructions
Applications for the 2026 cycle ran February 15 – March 29, 2026 and are now closed; check back for future rounds. Enroll via California Waterfowl.
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Updated September 4, 2026
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