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

PO Box 2900

College Station, Texas - 77841

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) - January 17, 2013 - USDA Texas Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director, James B. Douglass today announced that Mitchell County received an authorization for emergency grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for fiscal year (FY) 2013. This authorization brings the total to 53 counties approved to graze CRP acres.

The CRP emergency grazing authorization begins immediately for a 90 day period, not to exceed February 28, 2013.

The following Texas counties were previously approved for emergency grazing: Andrews, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor, Borden, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Coleman, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Gaines, Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, Kent, King, Lamb, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Moore, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Scurry, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, Wheeler and Yoakum.

Based on a decision made by the Texas FSA State Committee, CRP emergency grazing approval will only be available for those CRP lands that were not utilized for haying or grazing during fiscal year 2011 or 2012. FSA's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

"Eligible producers who are interested in emergency grazing of CRP must request approval before grazing eligible acreage and obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service that includes grazing provisions," said Douglass. "Current provisions allow grazing on 100 percent of a field, up to the 75 percent stocking rate," he said.

Additionally, there will be a 25 percent CRP payment reduction for CRP acres used for grazing under these emergency provisions.

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.

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

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