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Mercer Co. Approved for Emergency Haying & Grazing of Eligible CRP Acres

July 30th, 2012

On July 23, 2012, Mercer County was approved for emergency haying and grazing of eligible Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practices outside of the Primary Nesting Season (PNS). Participants may sell hay harvested under this authority.

The authorization will become effective August 2, 2012, which is after the PNS in Illinois and shall not exceed August 31, 2012 for haying. The authorization to graze will also begin August 2, 2012 and shall not exceed September 30, 2012.

Before haying or grazing, CRP participants:

-Shall request approval at the Mercer County FSA office to hay or graze eligible acreage.

Eligible conservation practices are:

-CP1- Introduced Grasses and Legumes

-CP2 -Native Grasses

-CP4B- Wildlife Habitat Corridors

-CP4D – Wildlife Habitat (except shrubs)

-CP10-Grass Already Established

-CP18B – Permanent Vegetation to reduce Salinity

-CP18C- Permanent Salt Tolerant Vegetative Cover

-CP38E-SAFE (only acreage planted to practice standards correlating to standards of one of the above practices)

Shall obtain a modified conservation plan to include haying and grazing requirements, as determined by NRCS or TSP.

If requesting to graze, shall leave 25% of each field or contiguous CRP fields ungrazed for wildlife, or graze not more than 75% of the stocking rate determined by NRCS or TSP.

If requesting to hay, shall leave at least 50% of each field or contiguous CRP fields unhayed for wildlife.

Shall not hay or graze the same acreage

Producers may sell harvested hay under authority granted on July 23, 2012.

Shall limit haying to 1 cutting.

Shall be assessed a 10% payment reduction based on the number of acres actually hayed or grazed.

Shall remove all hay from all CRP fields by August 31, 2012 and remove all livestock from all CRP fields by September 30, 2012.

Participants who do not own or lease livestock, may rent or lease the haying or grazing privilege to an eligible livestock producer.

Report ending of activities under this authority to the Mercer County FSA. Annual rental payments will not be issued for applicable contracts until reported.

PLEASE NOTE: CP8A-Grassed Waterways ARE NOT Eligible. The Mercer county office has received several inquiries about haying this practice but the county does nohas not received authority to hay or graze any ineligible practices. Reference 2-CRP (Rev 5) Paragraph 692.

Please contact the county office for additional information: Contact: vickie.schwass@il.usda.gov or telephone us at 309-582-0585. Mercer County FSA, 308 SE 8th Ave, Aledo, IL 61231.