Recent drought and temperatures extremes across the Midwest affecting foraging and haying prompted action regarding emergency haying and grazing use of the (CRP) Conservation Reserve Program throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas.
A statement released on July 18, by Linda Nikirk, State Executive Director for Arkansas State Farm Service Agency stated that this emergency has authorized all Arkansas counties. CRP Emergency haying can only be utilized by properties that were not used for haying or grazing over the previous 12 months.
More than 56 counties in Oklahoma have been designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by extreme drought. Francie Tolle, Oklahoma State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) released a statement on July 16, 2012, that the CRP haying and grazing would be approved.
Oklahoma counties that were subsequently approved for emergency CRP haying and grazing within the Ozark Farm & Neighbor coverage area are Craig and Le Flore. Additional counties can still be approved in the future if the qualifications are met. A complete list of approved counties is available at www.ozarksfn.com.
USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is available to agricultural producers to help safeguard environmentally sensitive land.
Under the emergency authorization, it is important that a eligible CRP producer first request approval and obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for any who are interested in haying or grazing CRP, and current CRP producers who choose to provide land for haying or grazing to an eligible livestock producer.
Emergency haying is allowed only until Aug. 31, 2012. Producers must leave at least 50 percent of each field or contiguous fields unhayed. These unhayed fields are for wildlife. Producers must have their hay removed from the field by Sept. 15th.
Emergency grazing is allowed through Sept. 30, 2012, and all livestock should be removed by that date. Producers should leave at least 25 percent of each field or contiguous CRP field ungrazed, or graze not more than 75 percent of the stocking rate.
Emergency haying and grazing cannot be allowed on the same acreage and only certain CRP practices are eligible. The Secretary of Agriculture had announced earlier this year on July 11, 2012, that the payment reduction for emergency haying and grazing was reduced from 25 to 10 percent of the rental payment per acre for this year.
For more information on and eligibility requirements for CRP emergency haying and grazing, contact your local FSA county office or visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mo.
After authorized by the national FSA office, county eligibility is based on a county FSA committee request documenting a 40 percent or greater loss in normal hay and pasture production and either: for drought conditions, precipitation levels at an average of 40 percent or greater loss of normal precipitation for the four most recent months plus the days in the current month before the date of request; or for excessive moisture conditions, precipitation levels at an average of 140 percent or greater increase in normal precipitation during the four most recent consecutive months plus the days in the current month before the date of request.
County FSA committees may request emergency haying or grazing for all or part of a county from the state FSA committee using the U.S. Drought Monitor. The state FSA committee may approve emergency haying and grazing on a county-by-county basis if the county is designated as level ”D3 Drought-Extreme” or ”D4-Exceptional” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
CRP producers requesting emergency or managed haying and grazing must file a request with their county FSA office indicating the acreage to be hayed or grazed before the activity begins.
