The following is a press release from the Montana Farm Service Agency:
(Bozeman, Mont., – July 20) – Montana Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting State Executive Director Dick Deschamps announced today that 13 more Montana counties have been authorized for emergency haying and grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres due to drought. This week’s approval brings the total of Montana counties to 21, as of mid-morning on Friday, July 20.
Additional counties approved this week for emergency CRP grazing and haying are the following:
- Carbon
- Carter
- Cascade
- Fallon
- Golden Valley
- Judith Basin
- Meagher
- Musselshell
- Park
- Powder River
- Stillwater
- Sweet Grass
- Wheatland
Last week, Montana FSA announced the following counties were approved:
- Beaverhead
- Big Horn
- Broadwater
- Custer
- Jefferson
- Madison
- Rosebud
- Yellowstone
The CRP emergency haying and grazing authorization for 2012 is effective immediately. Haying must be completed by Aug. 31, 2012. Grazing livestock must be removed from the CRP acres by September 30, 2012. Producers who wish to hay or graze their CRP contract acres must sign up in their local FSA office prior to any haying or grazing can occur.
“Eligible producers who are interested in emergency haying and grazing of CRP must request written approval from the Farm Service Agency before haying or grazing eligible acreage,” Deschamps said. “There will be a 10 percent annual payment reduction for CRP acres used for haying and grazing under these emergency provisions.”
To take advantage of the emergency haying and grazing provisions, authorized producers can use the CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage. CRP participants are not allowed to charge livestock producers more than the 10 percent annual payment reduction for the haying or grazing privileges.
Emergency haying and grazing of CRP is different than the “emergency use” of CRP land that was announced on July 9 by Montana FSA for Rosebud and Powder River counties. The “emergency use” authorization, effective until Aug. 3, is for livestock producers who lost pasture or fences due to fires to help protect livestock.
Last week, Montana FSA announced that Rosebud and Powder River counties have been approved for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) for Wildfires. Those interested in this cost-share program available to help remove debris, restore fences and conservation structures, should contact the Rosebud or Powder River county offices.
Montana FSA encourages producers seeking hay or pasture or who have hay or pasture available to utilize the Montana Department of Agriculture’s Hay Hotline at http://services.agr.mt.gov/Hay_List/.
Additional information is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mt and www.usda.gov/drought.
Source: Montana FSA
Posted by Haylie Shipp
