Veneman Announces CRP Haying

July 3, 2002

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has announced the authorization of emergency haying of Conservation Reserve Program acreage in several states. Last week it was announced that 28 South Dakota and 33 Montana counties were approved for emergency haying. There are 137 additional counties approved in the latest announcement.

In Colorado the counties are Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Cheyenne, Crowley, Dolores, El Paso, Elbert, Huerfano, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Moffat, Montezuma, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt, San Miguel, Washington, Weld and Yuma.

In Kansas the counties are Barber, Barton, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearney, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Wichita.

In Nebraska the eligible counties are Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Buffalo, Chase, Cheyenne, Deuel, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Garden, Greeley, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Red Willow, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux and Webster.

In New Mexico the eligible counties are Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Harding, Quay, Roosevelt, Santa Fe, Lea, Torrance and Union.

In North Dakota the counties are Adams, Barnes, Bowman, Dickey, Emmons, Grant, Hettinger, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, Morton, Ransom and Sioux. In Oklahoma: Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Harper, Texas, Woods and Woodward, and in Wyoming, Campbell, Goshen, Laramie and Platte.

USDA will notify local Farm Service Agency offices when additional counties are approved for haying. Livestock operations in approved counties should submit applications to their local FSA offices. Haying is authorized until Aug. 31 or until disaster conditions no longer exist, whichever comes first. CRP participants who do not own or lease livestock may rent or lease the haying privilege to an eligible livestock producer located in an approved county.

Counties throughout the country continue to be approved for emergency CRP grazing. Producers should check with their local FSA office to determine which counties are approved for grazing. Generally, to be approved for emergency haying and grazing, a county must have suffered at least a 40% loss of normal moisture and forage for the preceding four-month qualifying period. At least 50% of the CRP contract acreage must be left untouched by haying for wildlife and hay harvested from CRP acreage may not be sold.