Panhandle Wildfire Update
March 22, 2006
Johanns announces CRP actions to reduce wildfire effects
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns yesterday announced that ag producers in six Oklahoma counties and 27 north Texas counties currently being affected by wildfires can move cattle to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage and remove grass, without facing charges for grazing value or the baled value of removed forage.
Unusually dry conditions, along with high winds, dry grass and brush, caused the extreme fire conditions that burned more than 1 million acres. Many livestock producers in the affected counties have lost a large portion of rangeland, pastureland and fences.
On a case-by-case basis, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices will grant permission for CRP participants in these counties to move cattle to CRP land for the next 60 days. Authority is limited to livestock producers who actually lost pasture or fences due to the wildfires.
On a case-by-case basis, FSA county offices will grant authority for Texas and Oklahoma CRP participants to remove dry grass on CRP-enrolled land for the next 30 days. Any cover removed must be destroyed (used for firebreaks) or donated to local livestock producers whose rangeland or pastureland has been destroyed by the wildfires. Removing excess dry grass cover will also help to reduce fire potential.
FSA will also provide cost-share assistance for producers whose CRP land was burned by the wildfires. The cost-share will be used to reseed damaged fields that would not regenerate without reseeding.
The six affected Oklahoma counties are: Washita, Canadian, Jefferson, Custer, Cleveland and Osage. The 27 Texas counties are: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher and Wheeler.
For more information contact your county FSA office.
March 22, 2006
Johanns announces CRP actions to reduce wildfire effects
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns yesterday announced that ag producers in six Oklahoma counties and 27 north Texas counties currently being affected by wildfires can move cattle to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage and remove grass, without facing charges for grazing value or the baled value of removed forage.
Unusually dry conditions, along with high winds, dry grass and brush, caused the extreme fire conditions that burned more than 1 million acres. Many livestock producers in the affected counties have lost a large portion of rangeland, pastureland and fences.
On a case-by-case basis, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices will grant permission for CRP participants in these counties to move cattle to CRP land for the next 60 days. Authority is limited to livestock producers who actually lost pasture or fences due to the wildfires.
On a case-by-case basis, FSA county offices will grant authority for Texas and Oklahoma CRP participants to remove dry grass on CRP-enrolled land for the next 30 days. Any cover removed must be destroyed (used for firebreaks) or donated to local livestock producers whose rangeland or pastureland has been destroyed by the wildfires. Removing excess dry grass cover will also help to reduce fire potential.
FSA will also provide cost-share assistance for producers whose CRP land was burned by the wildfires. The cost-share will be used to reseed damaged fields that would not regenerate without reseeding.
The six affected Oklahoma counties are: Washita, Canadian, Jefferson, Custer, Cleveland and Osage. The 27 Texas counties are: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher and Wheeler.
For more information contact your county FSA office.
