IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CRP General CRP signup #56 – Extended indefinitely
• CRP EMERGENCY GRAZING AVAILABLE – Contact the FSA Office if interested.  

Disclaimer:  Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only.  Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office. 

THE USDA SERVICE CENTER HAS A DROP BOX AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING.  

MOISTURE

Majority of the county received some much-needed precipitation over the past weekend.  Here at the Service Center the rain gauge showed little over 2 inches of moisture.  Hopefully it’s a just a start to hopefully a better year for moisture in the area.  

SERVICE CENTER STAFFING

The Service Center received notification last week that all Service Centers nationwide will allow only 25% of the staff to work in the Service Center during the work week.  The balance of the employees will telework from home.  

There currently is no timeline available as to when this mandate could change.  Therefore, it’s vitally important that producers pay close attention to emails from employees and get any paperwork completed timely.  

CRP EMERGENCY GRAZING 

Many counties in Colorado are eligible for Emergency grazing of eligible CRP acres.  If interested in Emergency grazing of CRP; we encourage producers to contact your local FSA office for more information.  

Currently producers can graze at 100% stocking rate until March 15^th, which is the beginning of the Primary Nesting season for wildlife.  Producers can request to graze during the primary nesting season if all of the following occur: 

• County is eligible for Livestock Forage Program or LFP.
• NRCS grazing plans are written at 50% of the normal carrying capacity. 

Haying is not authorized during PNS or primary nesting season. 

Ineligible acres are: SAFE or State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement acres.   In Kiowa those are acres enrolled into the Lesser Prairie Chicken SAFE CRP program. 

NRCS will be required to make a site visit to determine if the acres can be grazed. Acres that were grazed last year, could potentially be ineligible this year.  

AT NO TIME CAN FEEDING OF BALES BE ALLOWED ON THE CRP ACRES.