CRP haying, grazing authorized in seven counties

by Montana FSA

Montana Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announced today that seven Montana counties have been authorized for emergency haying and grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program acres due to drought.

The following counties approved this week for emergency CRP grazing and haying: Glacier, Lake, Lewis & Clark, Liberty, Pondera, Teton and Toole.

The CRP emergency haying and grazing authorization for 2015 is effective July 16.  Haying must be completed by Aug. 31, 2015 and grazing livestock must be removed from the CRP acres by Sept. 30, 2015.  

Producers who wish to hay or graze their CRP contract acres must sign up and be approved in their local FSA office prior to any emergency haying or grazing activities occurring.

“Eligible producers who are interested in emergency haying and grazing of CRP must request written approval from FSA before haying or grazing begins,” Nelson said. “There is no 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 can donate but are not allowed to sell the hay.

For questions, people can contact their local FSA office and visit Montana FSA online at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mt.