The following is a press release from Montana FSA:
(Bozeman, Mont., July 30) – Today, July 30th, USDA authorized Montana’s Glacier County for emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres due to decreased precipitation effective immediately, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Montana State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announced today. Today’s authorization brings the total number of Montana counties eligible for emergency CRP haying and grazing to 49.
“Glacier County qualified for a secretarial authorization for emergency haying and grazing because it had a 40 percent or greater loss in normal precipitation and production for the last four full months and the days in the current month,” Nelson said.
The seven counties that are NOT yet eligible as of July 30th are the following: Daniels, Hill, Liberty, Lincoln, Mineral, Sanders and Toole. The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated every Thursday. Montana FSA will announce any newly approved counties each week.
Producers in the 49 counties that are authorized for the emergency haying and grazing provisions must sign up with their county FSA office before any haying or grazing can occur. Authorized producers can use CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage upon written approval from the administering FSA county office.
General rules for Emergency Haying and Grazing include:
- Producers cannot hay or graze the same acreage.
- A 10 percent payment reduction will be applied. This will be calculated on the actual acres hayed/grazed
- All livestock must be removed from the CRP by Sept. 30th, 2012. Emergency Haying ends Aug. 31st, 2012 and all bales must be removed from the CRP by Nov. 12th, 2012.
Rules specific to Emergency Haying:
- Haying must be completed by Aug. 31, 2012
- Is limited to one (1) cutting
- At least 50 percent of each field or contiguous field must be unhayed.
- Participants may sell the hay harvested under the emergency provisions.
Rules specific to Emergency Grazing:
- Grazing must be completed by Sept. 30, 2012.
- Participants may lease the land for grazing under the emergency provisions.
Contact your local FSA office to determine if your seeding is eligible for this authorization and to request written approval. Ineligible practices include:
- In a useful life easement
- Land within 120 feet of a stream or other permanent water body
- Practices such as waterways, filter strips, etc.
Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) now authorized in five Montana counties
The ECP Wildfire program, authorized in response to wildfires for Rosebud and Powder River counties on July 5th, has been expanded to also include Treasure County. Those interested in this cost-share program available to help restore fences and water and conservation structures, should contact the Rosebud/Treasure or Powder River FSA county offices.
In addition, on July 27th the ECP program was approved for “drought emergency measures” in Stillwater and Yellowstone counties. Producers in these two counties who need assistance with water conservation and enhancement measures to 1.) permit grazing of range, pasture or forage by livestock; 2.) supply emergency water for existing irrigation systems serving orchards and vineyards; or 3.) provide emergency water for confined livestock operations should contact the Stillwater and/or Yellowstone FSA county offices.
Montana Hay Hotline
Montana FSA continues to encourage producers seeking or selling hay and/or pasture to use the complimentary Montana Department of Agriculture’s Hay Hotline at http://services.agr.mt.gov/Hay_List/.
For more information, contact your local FSA county office.
Source: Montana FSA
Posted by Haylie Shipp
