The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Matt Russell recently announced that 46 Iowa counties are now authorized for emergency haying or grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program acres for fiscal year 2023. The 26 counties approved for emergency haying or grazing include: Allamakee, Audubon, Benton, Buena Vista, Carroll, Cedar, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Crawford, Decatur, Des Moines, Fremont, Henry, Humboldt, Ida, Jones, Louisa, Marion, Muscatine, Page, Pocahontas, Sac, Shelby, and Washington.
With 20 Iowa counties restricted under Emergency Haying Criteria Based on Livestock Forage Disaster Program authorization: Appanoose, Cass, Davis, Harrison, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Mills, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne, and Woodbury.
A CRP participant must receive approval for emergency haying from his county FSA office before any action is taken. The emergency haying authorizations end on Aug. 31.
A CRP participant must receive approval for emergency grazing from his local FSA office before any action is taken. The emergency grazing period for these counties will end Sept. 30.
CRP participants are eligible to seek approval for either emergency haying or emergency grazing but cannot do both on the same acres.