WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today sent the following letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer asking for early release of CRP acres, penalty free, so the land can be planted in a row crop, such as milo, grain sorghum, soybeans, or hay.
June 13, 2008
The Honorable Ed Schafer
Secretary
US Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Schafer,
As you know, the State of Iowa and the Midwest continue to be pounded with tornados, and massive flooding. Currently, 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties have been declared disaster areas by Governor Chet Culver. As I travel around the state, I am witnessing first hand acre after acre of row crop production under water. Much of this ground may take 2 weeks before farmers can get back into plant.
Because of the seriousness of the flooding in the Midwest, Iowa livestock producers have urged the early release of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. I respectively ask that the Department do so, penalty free, so that these acres can be planted to milo, grain sorghum, soybeans, or hay. We continue to have growing global demand for feedstocks, and current flooding issues make it a certainty that Iowa will not meet the production goals set forth earlier this year.
I urge you to protect the most environmentally sensitive lands, but open up both new and less fragile land contracts. This will allow new feedstocks to be grown this year, relieving pressure from our already strained row crop acres planted or still under water.
Thank you for consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator
