Due to severe drought conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency has approved emergency haying or grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres in several northwest Iowa counties.
Eligible counties include Buena Vista, Cherokee, Calhoun, Ida, Pocahontas, and Sac.
Eligible producers interested in emergency haying and grazing of CRP land must request approval and obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service before proceeding. CRP participants are asked to check with their local FSA office to determine specifics on eligibility. Participants must sign up and get approval before any haying or grazing begins.
The Conservation Reserve Program provides emergency haying and grazing on certain practices in a county designated in Severe Drought or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor, or in a county with at least a 40-percent loss in forage production.
