How much land is going to be taken out of 'production' if buffers are installed?

Suprisingly little.

If a buffer is designed to meet the minimum width of 60 ft on one side of a channel as required in the 1995 Open Enrollment Component of the Conservation Reserve Program 7.3 acres will be used on one side (14.6 acres both sides) in one mile of channel length. If the buffer is 100 ft wide on one side, 12.1 (24.2 acres both sides) acres would be used along a mile of channel. At 150 ft of width 18.2 acres would be used on a side in one mile.

While this land is usually taken out of grain crop production detailed evaluations in the Bear Creek watershed show that 1/2 of the acres that would be planted to buffers presently are not being cropped because of tight meanders in the channel that make it difficult for machinery to maneuver. Most of that area is in permanent grass/weeds or forests.