USDA Moves Up Date For Haying & Grazing Prevented Plant Acres

23 North Dakota counties are eligible

WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA is moving up the date for the haying and grazing of cover crops to September 1st in 23 North Dakota counties with a significant number of prevented plant acres.

The counties cover the majority of the eastern half of the state and include Cass & Grand Forks.

Eligible counties include: Barnes, Benson, Bottineau, Cass, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, McIntosh, Nelson, Ramsey, Ramsom, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill and Wells.

They kept the November 1st haying and grazing date for the remaining counties.

“I met with Ag Secretary Perdue and am very appreciate that he has agreed to move forward with allowing early haying, grazing and planting of cover crops in counties that have had excessive moisture. We have many of those counties in North Dakota that face a lot of prevented plant,” said Sen. John Hoeven.

North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne says the move will provide relief to ranchers struggling to meet their feed and forage needs.