MARSHALL — Emergency access to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for haying and grazing has now been granted to more counties in Minnesota, Rep. Chris Swedzinski said Friday.
Eligibility has about doubled from around 30 Minnesota counties that qualified earlier this week, and the list of eligible counties now includes southwestern Minnesota counties like Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine, Swedzinski’s office said in a news release.
Swedzinski said the expansion of emergency haying and grazing was needed, because drought is impacting pastures in Minnesota and may soon force cattle farmers to sell livestock or make other difficult decisions before they run out of grass for grazing.
“This is good news for our farmers who already are facing challenging times,” Swedzinski said. “I thank our state and federal officials for granting this emergency CRP access in our counties and others around the state that face similar situations. Recent rain may aid our situation slightly, but likely will not make a significant difference in this year’s crop so it remains important to have this opportunity for haying and grazing on CRP lands.”
Swedzinski wrote a letter to state and federal officials on Wednesday, urging them to grant emergency CRP haying and grazing usage in the counties he represents. Swedzinski said he had received positive responses to his letter from Minnesota congressional members, as well as from Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. Swedzinski said he was mistaken in an interview with the Independent on Thursday, when he said he had not yet received a response from the Agriculture Commissioner.
The Minnesota Farm Services Agency says emergency haying or grazing is limited to CRP acres physically located within the boundary of eligible counties. CRP participants must file a request with their county FSA office with the acres to be hayed or grazed. Acres will only be authorized for haying or grazing for a specific time, and that time may end earlier than announced if conditions improve. Producers can use CRP acreage for their own livestock, or may grant another livestock producer use of their CRP acreage.
For emergency haying, the FSA said producers are limited to one cutting, and they are allowed to sell the hay. Participants must remove all hay from CRP acreage within 15 days after baling, and remove all livestock from the acreage by one day after the end of the emergency grazing period.
Emergency haying and grazing status is reviewed and authorized each Thursday using the U.S. Drought monitor. Counties are approved for emergency haying and grazing due to drought conditions on a county-by-county basis.
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More counties approved for emergency haying and grazing - Marshall Independent
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