In response to continued severe drought conditions in certain areas of the country, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced temporary assistance to livestock producers through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). According to the press release, some farmers and ranchers affected by drought will be able to use additional CRP acres for haying or grazing “while maintaining safeguards to the conservation and wildlife benefits provided by CRP.” USDA announced that the “reduction to CRP annual rental payments related to emergency haying or grazing will be reduced from 25 percent to 10 percent” and the “sale of hay will be allowed under certain conditions.”
FSA state offices are now authorized to expand
opportunities for haying and grazing, under certain conditions, on land
enrolled in CRP. Garcia stated that the
“local approach provides both the appropriate flexibility and ability to tailor
safeguards specific to regional conditions.
States must adhere to specific guidelines to ensure that haying and
grazing still maintains the important environmental and wildlife benefits of
CRP.”
FSA has also authorized “additional expenditures
related to drought response to be eligible for cost share, including connection
to rural water systems and installation of permanent pipelines” under the
Emergency Conservation Program.
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary
land retirement program designed to remove millions of acres of environmentally
sensitive and highly erodible land from agricultural production. The program provides annual rental payments
in exchange for planting resource-conserving vegetation on cropland to help
prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and improve the environment.
For more information on the CRP program, a recent
report by the Congressional Research Service is available here. For additional resources, visit the National
Agricultural Law Center’s Conservation
Programs Reading Room.
