Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack has announced a two-month extension for emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres, freeing up forage and feed for ranchers as they look to recover from extreme drought.

You've got a facebook Request! CLICK HERE!

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened the CRP and other conservation acres to emergency haying and grazing.

USDA is permitting farmers and ranchers in drought stricken states that have been approved for emergency grazing to extend grazing on CRP land through Nov. 30 with no additional CRP rental payment reduction.

The period normally allowed for emergency grazing ends Sept. 30.

The extension applies to general CRP practices, Vilsack said. New grazing requests should be submitted to Farm Service Agency field offices indicating the acreage to be grazed.

The extension of emergency grazing on CRP acres does not apply to the following environmentally sensitive practices: CP8A-Grass Waterway-Non-Easement; CP23-Wetland Restoration; CP23A-Wetland Restoration-Non-Floodplain; CP27-Farmable Wetlands Pilot Wetland; CP28-Farmable Wetlands Pilot Buffer; CP37-Duck Nesting Habitat; and CP41-FWP Flooded Prairie Wetlands, Vilsack said.

There is no extension of emergency haying, which ends Aug. 31.