WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking the Department of Agriculture to open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for haying and grazing to provide emergency relief in the likely event that flooding delays or prevents the successful harvest of forage crops like hay and alfalfa.  These crops are critical to bring livestock through the winter.
 
“With fields that have been under water since April, it’s pretty easy to see that this flooding is going to impact our ability to grow hay and other crops,” said Rehberg, a fifth generation rancher.  “Instead of waiting for the next crisis, the Department of Agriculture can get in front of it and prevent a feed shortage from happening in the first place.  That’s what I’m working to do.”
 
USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land.  Haying and grazing of CRP acreage is authorized under certain conditions – including to provide emergency relief to livestock producers due to natural disasters like flooding and drought. Under this authority, acreage in designated counties will be authorized for haying and grazing for a time specified by FSA.  Producers who chose to hay or graze on their CRP land during an emergency designation sacrifice part of their CRP payment, but can earn profits from haying or grazing.

“When we’re facing challenging weather as we’ve had, flexibility is essential,” said Jake Cummins, Executive Vice President of the Montana Farm Bureau.  “We applaud and thank Congressman Rehberg for helping us out.”
 
LETTER:

Dear Secretary Vilsack:
 
In early June, Governor Brian Schweitzer requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 37 of Montana’s 56 counties and five Indian Reservations.  As we await a decision on this request, the flooding continues to worsen due to a wet forecast and a record snowpack that is just beginning to melt.  As the crisis deepens, Montana’s agriculture producers are confronting the harsh reality their fields may be under water for some time.
 
It was recently brought to my attention that producers who grow hay, alfalfa and other types of forage are deeply concerned that the flooding in their fields will leave them unable to harvest a strong crop this year.  In some areas of Northeastern Montana, the hay fields have been under water since April.
 
As you know, livestock producers depend on the forage harvested during the summer months to feed their cattle during the winter months.  To ensure that livestock producers have enough forage available to feed their herds, I am asking you to open up Montana’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage to emergency haying and grazing.
 
I urge you to open up available CRP acres to emergency haying and grazing so that Montana’s livestock producers are not adversely impacted by the unprecedented flooding across the state.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions.
 
Sincerely,