USDA Colorado Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Leland Swenson announced July 12 that Las Animas, Huerfano, Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Kiowa, La Plata, Archuleta, Lincoln, Logan, Dolores, Montezuma, San Miguel, Morgan, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma, Prowers, Kit Carson. Phillips and Moffat Counties are authorized for emergency grazing and haying use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for fiscal year 2013. According to Swenson, there may be additional counties added to this list in the coming days as they are reviewed and approved. The CRP emergency grazing authorization for FY 2013 is effective on July 16. The last day to hay CRP will be August 31 and graze CRP acres is September 30.
In addition, it has been announced that Elbert County is authorized for emergency grazing only, affective on July 16 through September 30.
Eligible producers who are interested in grazing or haying CRP under the emergency authorization and current CRP participants who choose to provide land for grazing to an eligible livestock producer must first request approval through their local FSA office to graze or hay eligible acreage and obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to include grazing and haying requirements.
Additionally, there will be a 25 percent CRP payment reduction for CRP acres used for grazing and haying 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.
SAFE contracts are not eligible for haying or grazing. New seeding that has not been determined established will also not be eligible for haying or grazing.
For more information and to request approval for emergency grazing of CRP acres contact your local FSA office or visit the web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov
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