USDA Allows Landowners the Opportunity to Provide Conservation Acres to Wildfire-Impacted Producers in San Miguel and Mora Counties in New Mexico

Continued Need for Hay and Available Grazing Acres

LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Sept. 29, 2022 – To increase access to forage, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is authorizing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants in Colorado and New Mexico an extended emergency use window to utilize haying and grazing activities in an effort to provide much needed forage access to livestock producers in San Miguel and Mora counties in New Mexico.

“The losses that producers in New Mexico have incurred as a result of devastating wildfires this year are catastrophic, recovery continues and the need for assistance remains,” said Kent Peppler, State Executive Director for FSA in Colorado. “We here in Colorado need to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to provide New Mexico livestock producers with much-needed hay donations and to help identify locations where livestock can be moved to graze; because that’s what neighbors do.”

Emergency Haying and Grazing Option

With pre-approval from both the CRP contract holder and FSA, livestock producers in San Miguel and Mora counties are authorized to move their livestock to CRP land in both New Mexico and Colorado to graze for up to 90 days.

Livestock is authorized to be moved within San Miguel and Mora counties or to other counties in New Mexico or Colorado to reduce the concentration of livestock in counties affected by wildfire.  

The CRP participant must obtain a modified conservation plan from NRCS that includes emergency grazing and haying requirements. Emergency grazing and haying will not be permitted when grazing or haying will cause long-term damage to the vegetative cover on the land as determined by NRCS. 

CRP acreage eligible for emergency grazing includes all practices except CP-12 (wildlife food plot) and CP-38 (permanent wildlife habitat), if grazing is not included in the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement proposal.  

CRP Participants are provided the ability to conduct emergency haying activities for 60 days or emergency grazing activities for 90 days per program year.

CRP participants who allow emergency haying activities for 60 days or emergency grazing activities for 90 days, are reminded that any days grazed or hayed after September 30, 2022, will count towards next year’s 60-day haying limitation or 90-day grazing limitation, as applicable.

To learn more about emergency haying and grazing, producers should contact their local FSA office or check online to see if their county is eligible for emergency haying and grazing. 

Non-Emergency Haying and Grazing Option

To tap all possible hay and grazing acre resources, producers are reminded that non-emergency haying and grazing provisions apply to CRP acres and are available to provide needed access to forage.  

In general, the non-emergency haying option may be utilized every three years and non-emergency grazing every two years. As with emergency use of CRP acres, FSA must be notified, and a modified conservation plan must be obtained from NRCS before non-emergency haying and grazing activities start.

All practices are eligible for non-emergency haying and grazing except for CP12 Wildlife Food Plot and several tree practices. A complete guide to eligible practices for emergency and non-emergency CRP haying and grazing is available online.

CRP contract holders interested in providing New Mexico livestock producers access to their CRP acres for the purpose of non-emergency haying and grazing should contact their local FSA county offices.  New Mexico livestock producers seeking assistance must first file a notice of loss with their local FSA county office.

Other Resources

In addition to potential haying and grazing options on CRP acres offered through USDA, livestock producers in need of hay and pasture can also connect with resources through the New Mexico and Colorado Departments of Agriculture.

Additional USDA Assistance

Additional USDA disaster assistance information can be found on farmers.gov, including USDA resources specifically for producers impacted by drought and wildfire and the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool. For FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.