James Brock, County Executive Director of the Iroquois County Farm Service Agency, announced today that certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres have been released for emergency haying or grazing in Iroquois County due to the county being designated as a Presidential Disaster Area because of flooding. Among the practices not eligible for haying or grazing are filter strips, waterways, and riparian buffers.

For CRP participants to be approved, they must request the emergency haying or grazing from the Iroquois County FSA office, obtain a modified conservation plan and receive county office approval before beginning to hay or graze. Use of the allowance is subject to a 25% reduction in their next CRP rental payment for the acres hayed or grazed.

Haying and grazing is not allowed on the same acreage. The haying is limited to one cutting, and 50 percent of a field or contiguous fields must be left unhayed for wildlife. The emergency authorization ends on September 30, 2008.

Under CRP, farmers and ranchers enroll eligible land in 10- to 15-year contracts with USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The FSA administers CRP on behalf of CCC. Participants plant appropriate cover such as grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams. These plantings help prevent soil and nutrients from running into regional waterways and affecting water quality. The long-term vegetative cover also improves wildlife habitat and soil quality.

For more information on emergency haying and grazing of CRP acres, please contact the Iroquois County Farm Service Agency at 1001 E Grant St, Suite B, Watseka, IL or call (815) 432-3946, extension 2.