It has been almost two weeks since U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a disaster proclamation for 18 Iowa counties affected by the derecho storm. There are also declarations on counties affected by drought. We know the declaration opens tools from the Farm Bill, but what are they and how do they work?
Amanda De Jong is the State Director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Iowa. She talks about what options were opened up for farmers when the Secretary signed his disaster declaration. Many of the programs also run with the NRCS.
With the drought comes different programs, like emergency haying and grazing of CRP land. The window for haying was extended but ended on September 15th, and the window for grazing closes on September 30th. This gives the CRP land time to recover and be ready for its primary purpose, conservation.
The biggest program available, according to De Jong, is the Livestock Forage Program.
De Jong says while these temporary programs have some benefits, there are also permanent options that producers can take advantage of. De Jong says it is best to make an appointment to visit your local FSA or NRCS office and go through your options. They will help figure out what is going to be the best route for your operation going forward.
