Emergency Haying and Grazing of CRP Acres for Nebraska has been Expanded

Farm Service Agency (FSA) Director, Dan Steinkruger today announced that additional emergency haying and grazing practices have been approved under limited conditions for County Offices that have previously been approved for emergency haying and grazing.

The counties approved for emergency haying and grazing are Adams, Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Clay, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Kearney, Keith, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nuckolls, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Red Willow, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Wayne, Webster, and Wheeler.  This authorization for 2013 began July 16, 2013 for both emergency haying and emergency grazing, which coincides with the end of the primary nesting and brood rearing season in Nebraska.

Under these conditions, farmers and ranchers affected by drought will be allowed to use certain additional CRP acres for haying or grazing under emergency conditions while maintaining safeguards to the conservation and wildlife benefits provided by CRP.  In addition, USDA announced that the reduction to CRP annual rental payments related to emergency haying or grazing will be reduced from 25 percent to 10 percent.  Further, the sale of hay will be allowed under certain conditions.  These measures take into consideration the quality of losses of the hay and will provide needed assistance to livestock producers. 

“Beginning today, Nebraska FSA offices are authorized, subject to certain restrictions, to allow haying and grazing on additional lands enrolled in CRP,” Steinkruger noted.  “For counties that have been released for emergency haying and grazing, this will provide additional acres to help supplement the limited supply of forage available due to these drought conditions.”

Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office for additional information on CRP emergency haying and grazing.  Additional information is also available on the web at www.fsa.usda.gov/ne.