USDA Authorizes Additional Counties for Emergency Haying and Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program Acres

(Springfield, IL)  --  U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency State Executive Director William Graff recently announced that Brown, Fulton, Kankakee, Knox, Mercer, Pike, and Schuyler Counties are now authorized for emergency haying and grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program acres for fiscal year 2018. Adams, Hancock, McDonough, and Warren Counties were authorized on August 2, 2018. Henderson County was authorized on August 9, 2018. FSA's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Currently, Adams, Brown, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Kankakee, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Pike, Schuyler, and Warren Counties have received emergency haying and grazing approval. The emergency grazing period for these counties will begin on the date of authorization and end September 30, 2018. The emergency haying authorization for these counties will begin on the date of authorization and end on August 31, 2018.  Eligible practices for emergency haying and grazing are CP1, CP2, CP4D, CP10, and CP38E. There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for 2018 emergency haying and grazing authorizations. To take advantage of the emergency grazing provisions, authorized producers can use the CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage. The eligible CRP acreage is limited to acres located within the approved county. In counties that are authorized for emergency haying and grazing, producers are reminded that the same CRP acreage cannot be both hayed and/or grazed at the same time. For example, if 50 percent of a field or contiguous field is hayed, the remaining unhayed 50 percent cannot be grazed; it must remain unhayed and ungrazed for wildlife. In addition, participants are limited to one hay cutting and are not permitted to sell any of the hay. For more information and to request approval for emergency haying or grazing use of CRP acres, contact the Adams, Brown, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Kankakee, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Pike, Schuyler, and Warren County FSA offices.