BUSINESS MEMO: EMERGENCY HAYING

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has announced that emergency haying will be permitted on some Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in areas of the country hit hardest by this year's drought.

"The drought has devastated many farmers and ranchers," said Glickman. "This additional emergency relief measure will provide some hay for producers who need it most."

The reserve program offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term resource-conserving cover on eligible land. This action will permit approved participants to harvest hay on reserve acreage, providing supplemental forage to producers whose pastures have been decimated by drought.

To be approved for emergency haying, a county must have suffered at least a 40 percent loss of normal moisture and forage for the preceding four-month qualifying period. The agriculture department will determine what counties will be approved for haying and will require participants to submit applications with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices beginning today. Haying may be authorized until Aug. 31, or until disaster conditions no longer exist 00 whichever comes first.

For more information contact local FSA county offices or go to Web site: www.fsa.usda.gov