Manhattan – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director David Schemm today announced the additional authorization of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practice CP25 (continuous practice) acres for emergency grazing only, for the remainder of fiscal year 2018 through Sept. 30. This authorization covers the same 44 counties prewviously authorized for emergency haying and grazing on other CRP practices. A map of currently authorized counties can be found on the Kansas FSA webpage, www.fsa.usda.gov/ks.
Local FSA county committees in counties designated as D2 (severe drought) level on the U.S. Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu) have requested and been approved by the Kansas FSA State Committee for emergency grazing beginning July 16. The emergency grazing period for CP25 in these counties will end Sept. 30, 2018. Emergency haying is NOT authorized for practice CP25. Counties that reach D2 status in the future may request authorization through their local FSA county committee.
“Kansas FSA is very pleased that USDA was able to release CRP CP25 acreage for emergency grazing during the continued severe drought Kansas is currently experiencing. This additional authorization of the use of CRP acreage was badly needed and will help ease the feed shortage for our livestock producers,” said SED Schemm. “All eligible producers who are interested in any type of emergency haying and grazing of CRP must first request approval through their local FSA before haying or grazing eligible acreage, and obtain a modified conservation plan from the NRCS that includes haying or grazing provisions. Certain restrictions apply to CP25 emergency grazing per county and contract. Interested producers should visit with their county offices as soon as possible to determine eligibility and receive approval,” Schemm added. There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for 2018 emergency haying and grazing authorizations. To take advantage of the CP25 emergency grazing provisions, authorized producers can use the CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage. The eligible CRP acreage is limited to acres located within the approved county.
For more information and to request approval for emergency haying or grazing use of CRP acres, producers should contact their local county FSA office. Contact information can be found online at https://www.farmers.gov.