USDA extends CRP emergency grazing deadline

Donley County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Vance Killian has announced that the original Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) emergency grazing deadline has been extended to September 30, 2013.

The CRP emergency haying authorization was not extended and will expire on August 31, 2013. However, under this current authorization, producers are permitted to sell hay that is harvested prior to August 31 as long as the hay was not sold from the same land under contract anytime during 2011 or 2012.

Producers who take advantage of the emergency grazing extension will not incur an additional CRP rental payment reduction, and through a recent FSA National Office initiative, the 25 percent CRP payment reduction is reduced to 10 percent for 2013 emergency grazing and haying authorizations.

If a producer chooses to lease eligible CRP acres, the producer cannot profit on the lease agreement. The amount charged for lease of CRP emergency grazing acres cannot exceed the value of the rental payment reduction.

Texas CRP participants who were previously approved for managed grazing may elect to switch to emergency use by contacting the Donley County FSA office to request approval. The restrictive emergency use criteria must be met for each site to qualify for the new emergency designation approval.

Based on a revised policy decision made by the Texas FSA State Committee, CRP acres grazed during fiscal year 2011 or 2012 will be considered eligible for emergency grazing if NRCS verifies, on a case-by-case basis, that the conservation cover will sustain grazing. CRP acres grazed in the fall/winter of fiscal year 2013 will not be eligible for spring/summer grazing. FSA’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

“The grazing extension was approved by the Texas FSA State Committee in order to provide more resources for livestock producers facing forage and feed shortages as a result of drought,” said Killian.

The eligible CRP acreage is limited to qualified acres located within the approved county. Eligible producers who are interested in grazing CRP under this emergency authorization and current CRP participants who choose to provide land for grazing to an eligible livestock producer, must first request approval from their local FSA office and obtain a modified conservation plan from the NRCS to include site specific grazing requirements.

For more information, contact the Donley County FSA office at 806-874-3561.