U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas Farm Service Agency

PO Box 2900

College Station, Texas - 77841

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) - July 5, 2012 - USDA Texas Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director James B. Douglass announced that in response to drought conditions, FSA has authorized emergency haying use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for five Texas counties. Based on a decision made by the Texas FSA State Committee, CRP emergency haying approval will only be available for those CRP lands that were not utilized for haying or grazing during the previous 12 months.

The following counties are approved for emergency CRP haying: Cochran, Floyd, Hockley, Lamb, and Terry. The haying authorization became effective July 2, 2012, and ends 60 calendar days from the date each county received authorization, not to exceed August 31, 2012.

"Eligible producers who are interested in emergency haying of CRP must request approval before haying eligible acreage," said Douglass. "It is also important for producers to obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that includes haying requirements," he said.

Upon approval of emergency haying, producers must leave at least 50 percent of each field or contiguous field unhayed for wildlife. For those counties that are eligible for emergency haying and grazing, 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. There will be a 25 percent CRP payment reduction depending on the number of acres actually hayed.

To take advantage of the emergency haying provisions, authorized producers can use the CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage for the purpose of haying.

For more information and to request approval for emergency haying of CRP acres contact your local FSA office.

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