ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 25, 2008

JOHNSON COMMENDS FEDERAL ACTION ON CRP GRAZING

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson commended federal officials for allowing emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in 26 North Dakota counties.

"The State Technical Committee and the North Dakota Agricultural Drought Task Force unanimously recommended this action,” said Johnson, who chairs the task force. “I wish to thank Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer and his staff for moving decisively on that request to help producers in these counties deal with drought conditions.”

The counties are Adams, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Divide, Dunn, Grant, Golden Valley, Hettinger, McHenry, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Pierce, Renville, Rolette, Sheridan, Slope, Stark, Towner, Ward and Williams.

According to Farm Service Agency (FSA) officials, CRP participants must file a written request, obtain a grazing plan and receive written authorization from FSA before their animals can graze on CRP lands.

The emergency grazing is allowed only in the approved counties by producers from those counties.

Participating producers will have their annual CPR rental payment reduced by 25 percent.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.