12 Additional Counties Approved For CRP Grazing

Adrian J. Polansky, State Executive Director of the Kansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced today that emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage has been approved for Barber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Ford, Gray, Hodgeman, Kiowa, Pratt, Rice and Scott counties in Kansas.

Twenty-six counties are now approved for CRP emergency grazing. Finney, Grant, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Meade, Morton, Ness, Pawnee, Seward, Stafford, Stanton, and Stevens counties were previously approved for emergency grazing of CRP.

Emergency grazing is allowed through September 30, 2011. Participants shall leave at least 25 percent of each field or contiguous CRP fields ungrazed for wildlife, or graze not more than 75 percent of the stocking rate. All livestock must be removed by the end of this grazing period.

CRP participants in approved counties shall contact the local FSA county office to request emergency grazing on an individual contract basis prior to grazing. Participants will work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a forage management plan. If the CRP cover is destroyed, the practice must be re-established at their own expense to remain in compliance with the CRP contract.

Participants must also accept a 25 percent reduction in the annual rental payment for the acres actually grazed.