Letter to Ed Schafer, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Re: Release CRP Acres in Disaster Areas for Haying

Letter

Iowa Delegation Urges USDA to Release CRP Acres in Disaster Areas for Haying

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today, the Iowa Congressional delegation urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for haying. On July 7th, USDA announced the release of CRP acres for livestock grazing in counties recently designated as Presidential Disaster Areas and contiguous counties because of flooding. The Iowa lawmakers urged haying also be allowed in these same areas.

"The emergency release of CRP acres for grazing allowed many producers needed access to their CRP land, and helped reduce the demand for other sources of feed," wrote the lawmakers. "However, many producers in disaster areas cannot make use of the grazing authority. Their CRP land may not have fencing or watering facilities that would make grazing practical, and the time and cost involved in creating this infrastructure would be excessive. For these producers, access to hay harvest on CRP is the most practicable way for their livestock to benefit from hay on CRP acres, or for the hay to enhance supplies for feed."

The full text of the letter follows.

August 5, 2008

The Honorable Ed Schafer
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Schafer:

We want to express our appreciation for your efforts to address the critical need for feed in areas affected by this summer's floods, through your authorization on July 7 for emergency grazing on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and to urge you to expand this authority to allow producers to harvest hay as well.

The emergency release of CRP acres for grazing allowed many producers needed access to their CRP land, and helped reduce the demand for other sources of feed. However, many producers in disaster areas cannot make use of the grazing authority. Their CRP land may not have fencing or watering facilities that would make grazing practical, and the time and cost involved in creating this infrastructure would be excessive. For these producers, access to hay harvest on CRP is the most practicable way for their livestock to benefit from hay on CRP acres, or for the hay to enhance supplies for feed. Especially in light of the decision to provide for emergency grazing and haying for areas affected by drought, it is imperative that producers in areas affected by excessive rain and flooding be extended this option.

We therefore urge that you immediately announce the release of CRP acres in the disaster counties for which grazing was authorized July 7. To maintain the quality of the hay, it is imperative that this land be released as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

Tom Harkin
Chuck Grassley
Leonard Boswell
Tom Latham
Bruce Braley
Steve King
Dave Loebsack