U.S. Department of Agriculture extends emergency grazing

U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency officials announced late last week that emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acreage has been authorized to extend to Nov. 30 beyond the original Sept. 30 final date.

The period for baling CRP acres has ended as of Aug. 31.

Last week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that in order "to assist producers, USDA is permitting farmers and ranchers in drought-stricken states that have been approved for emergency grazing to extend grazing on CRP land through Nov. 30, 2012, without incurring an additional CRP rental payment reduction."

Because of the severe and ongoing drought conditions, emergency grazing in approved Kansas counties (which now includes all 105 counties) will now be allowed for this extended timeframe. The emergency grazing extension applies to eligible practices. The Kansas FSA State Committee completed the emergency grazing authorizations in all Kansas counties on July 20 as a result of the D2 Severe Drought designation. As of Aug. 28, a good portion of Kansas was elevated to D3 and D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Drought monitor conditions can be found at www.droughtmonitor.unl. edu.

Participants are instructed to 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 as set by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

All livestock must be removed by the end of this grazing period. Producers without livestock may rent or lease the grazing privileges.

The Secretary of Agriculture announced earlier this summer that the payment reduction for emergency haying and grazing will be reduced from 25 percent of the rental payment per acre to 10 percent for the 2012 year.

CRP participants should contact their local FSA county office, if they have not already done so, to request emergency grazing on an individual contract basis prior to grazing. Participants must then consult with the NRCS to develop a forage management plan prior to the grazing approval.

CRP haying and grazing policies will be posted on-line at www.fsa.usda.gov/ks.

IN OTHER DROUGHT-RELATED NEWS: USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan M. Garcia last Wednesday urged livestock producers affected by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Isaac or the ongoing drought/heat, to keep thorough records of their livestock and feed losses, including additional expenses for such things as feed purchases because of lost supplies.

"There are extraordinary circumstances caused by a variety of disasters from fires in the west, floods in Florida, Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf region, storms in the Mid-Atlantic and drought and heat affecting the heartland," Garcia said. "Each of these events is causing economic consequences for ranchers and producers including cattle, sheep and dairy operations, beekeepers and farm-raised fish and poultry producers."

In case applicable programs become available later, Garcia recommends that owners and producers record all pertinent information of natural disaster consequences, including: 1) documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses; 2) dates of death supported by birth records or purchase receipts; 3) costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures; and 4) feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed.

Garcia reminds producers that none of these disaster programs are in effect at this time -- the department's authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill expired in 2011. However, if any of these programs are eventually reinstated, record keeping as described here will be needed.

Editor's Note: Doug Niemeir is the County Executive Director for the USDA/Farm Service Agency. Doug may be reached by emailing him at Douglas.Niemeir@ks.usda.gov.