Powder River Examiner -

July 31, 2020 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Mike Riley today announced that Powder River County is authorized for emergency haying and grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres outside of the Primary Nesting Season. Emergency haying (one cutting only) must be completed by September 13, 2020; and emergency grazing must be completed by November 2, 2020.

"Producers who are interested in emergency haying or grazing of CRP acres must request FSA county office approval before starting any haying and grazing activities,” said Riley. “Before the request is approved, the producer must also have their conservation plan modified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with any emergency haying and grazing provisions.”

Haying is restricted to no more than 50 percent of the CRP contract acreage and grazing use shall leave 25 percent of each field or contiguous fields ungrazed or graze 100 percent of a field but at not more than 75 percent stocking rate.

Producers can use the CRP acreage under the emergency grazing provisions 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. There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for emergency haying and grazing authorizations.

Under the emergency haying and grazing provisions, CRP acreage cannot be hayed and/or grazed at the same time. For example, if half the field or contiguous field is hayed, the remaining half cannot be grazed; but must remain unhayed and ungrazed for wildlife. All hay bales must be removed within 15 days of the end of the haying period and all livestock must be removed from the CRP acreage no more than 1 day after the end of the grazing period.

For more information or to request approval for emergency haying or grazing use of CRP acres, contact the Powder River County FSA office at 406-436-2321 or visit farmers.gov.