USDA Seeks To Enroll 200,000 More Acres Of Grazing Land

(The Daily News) –  The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it has accepted more than a half-million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands enrollment from a pool of more than 2,000 farmers and ranchers nationwide.

Locally, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Batavia says that they are still looking for their first small livestock sign-up for the federal support with a week to go before the current ranking period closes.

The program, eligible to operations with 100 or fewer head of grazing dairy cows, or an equivalent herd; provides annual payments of up to 75 percent of the grazing land value and up to 50 percent of costs for practices like cross-fencing. Participants are required to establish or maintain long-term, resource-conserving grasses and other plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands.

Through the voluntary CRP Grasslands program, grasslands threatened by development or conversion to row crops are maintained as livestock grazing areas, while providing important conservation benefits. Enrolled lands can be used for grazing or producing hay while following the conservation and cover plans.

The USDA is seeking to enroll up to an additional 200,000 acres this cycle.

Small livestock operations or other farming and ranching operations interested in participating in CRP Grasslands are encouraged to contact the local Farm Service Agency offices in Batavia, Albion and Warsaw.