Hay harvested from CRP may be used by the participant, sold or given away. In order for acreage to be hayed, CRP participants must visit an FSA office to sign a request and amend their CRP conservation plans.

Not all CRP acreage is eligible to be hayed, according to FSA.
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Acreage that has been seeded to a cover within the last 12 months; planted to trees or shrubs; within 120 feet of a stream or other permanent water body; enrolled as a filter strip, or any other CRP practice prohibited by policy from being hayed is ineligible.

In addition, haying of CRP acreage is only allowed once every three years; thus, acreage hayed in 2011-12 is not eligible for haying this year.

Producers who hay CRP acreage will receive a 25 percent reduction in their annual CRP payment on the actual acres that are hayed and must agree to revise the ending date of the nesting season to Aug. 1 for all practices on their contract.

Under the managed haying provisions producers are allowed to take one cutting from Aug. 2-Sept. 15. Bales stored on acreage must be removed by Sept. 30.

Interested parties should contact their local FSA office.  FG

—From USDA Farm Service Agency news release