WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced that Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage is approved for emergency haying for 21 Kansas counties.

“I am grateful USDA has taken this action to help producers suffering from this severe drought and higher feed costs,” Senator Roberts said. “This will give many producers options who have endured through this incredibly dry summer.”

“Today’s announcement is good news for producers across our state who are experiencing exceedingly dry conditions this year,” Sen. Moran said. “Without this help, they may have been forced to sell their livestock due to a lack of adequate forage.”

CRP emergency haying acreage has been approved beginning July 16, 2011, for Barber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Gray, Ford, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, McPherson, Meade, Morton, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick, Seward, and Stafford counties. These same counties are also listed at level D3-Extreme Drought. All of these counties, except Sedgwick, have also been approved for CRP emergency grazing.

Emergency haying is allowed through August 31, 2011 in those approved counties. Participants must leave at least 50 percent of each field or contiguous fields unhayed for wildlife. Hay must also be removed from the field within 30 days from the end of the haying period. Haying is not allowed prior to July 16, 2011, following the end of the nesting season.

Those wishing to participate must contact the local FSA county office. For more information, click here.

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