USDA Expands CRP Emergency Haying and Grazing
to Help Livestock Affected by Drought

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Friday announced a measure to provide livestock in drought-affected states needed additional hay and forage. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage eligible for emergency haying and grazing in Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee has been expanded to include land in an area radiating 210 miles out from all counties previously approved for emergency haying and grazing.

“We are closely monitoring the drought and providing assistance when we can,” Johanns said. “Emergency haying and grazing is a helpful tool for livestock owners, and I’m pleased to make it available to more farmers and ranchers.”

CRP is a voluntary program that offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term resource-conserving cover on eligible land. The expansion permits approved CRP participants to cut hay or graze livestock on CRP acreage, providing supplemental forage to producers whose pastures have been negatively affected by drought.

To be approved for emergency haying or grazing, a county must be listed as a level “D3 Drought — Extreme” or greater according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html, or have suffered at least a 40% loss of normal moisture and forage for the preceding four-month qualifying period. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committees may authorize emergency haying or grazing of CRP land in counties currently listed as level D3 drought. CRP participants who want to apply for emergency haying and grazing to their local FSA office must wait until after the nesting season for certain birds.

Only livestock operations located within approved counties are eligible for emergency haying or grazing of CRP acreage. CRP participants who do not own or lease livestock may rent or lease the grazing privilege to an eligible livestock farmer located in an approved county. Producers with CRP acreage that is hayed or grazed will be assessed a 10% reduction in their annual rental payment.

Maps relating to this announcement and more information on emergency haying and grazing are available at local FSA offices and online at www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=crp-eg.

USDA offers a number of programs to assist producers affected by drought or other natural disasters. More information is available on FSA’s web site, www.fsa.usda.gov; click on “Disaster Assistance Programs.”

— News release provided by USDA News.

Survey Indicates Majority of Producers See Value in Beef Checkoff Program

Seven in 10 producers approve of the Beef Checkoff Program, according to a summer survey of 1,225* beef and dairy producers commissioned by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

Findings in this survey track with results from previous studies that have continually reflected a majority approval rate. In recent years, approval rates have consistently ranged between this summer’s 68% and 73%. Disapproval rates have remained virtually the same, at 17%, over the past 12 months.

“We’re pleased with these results, but we still have work to do,” said Beef Board member Sugie Sartwelle, a Texas cattlewoman and chairman of the Joint Producer Communications Committee. “Informed producers consistently give the checkoff high marks. We want those who consider themselves uninformed to know more about how their checkoff dollars are being invested, because all producers have a stake in this program.”

In one analysis, a graph of the percentage of change in checkoff approval compared to the percent of change in the price of a 550-lb. steer shows the two lines trending nearly identically since 1994.

Other findings:

• 60% of respondents said the checkoff allows producers’ viewpoints to be represented;
• 77% of producers said they believed the checkoff has contributed to positive trends in beef demand;
• 61% said the checkoff has contributed to the profitability of their operation;
• 76% agreed that if cattlemen do not promote beef through the checkoff, no one else will pay to do it for them;
• 75% said the checkoff still had value for producers in a down market;
• 69% believe the checkoff is supported nationwide by the majority of producers;
• 91% of producers recognized the checkoff by name on either an unaided or aided basis.

The Beef Board conducts surveys twice a year to gauge producers’ expectations of checkoff investments, as well as checkoff program familiarity, strengths or weaknesses. The survey, conducted by Aspen Media & Market Research, is funded with checkoff monies.

*The statistical margin of error for a sample of 1,225 respondents is ±2.8 percentage points.

— News release provided by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.