Lawmakers Introduce Emergency Feed Bill
Legislation introduced this week in the Senate would provide farmers and ranchers with additional flexibility to alleviate feed shortages in years with widespread excessive moisture, flooding or drought. The Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters with Cover Crops Act would create an emergency waiver authority for the Secretary of Agriculture to allow for haying, grazing or chopping of a cover crop on prevented plant acres before November 1st, in the event of a feed shortage due to extreme weather.
The Act was introduced on the House side by representatives Dusty Johnson, a Republican from South Dakota, and Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota. While over in the Senate, companion legislation was introducced by senators John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, and Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin. The bill states that under the waiver, producers would not see a reduction of their crop insurance indemnity.
The legislation also directs the Agriculture Secretary to establish regional haying and grazing dates for each crop year. The current date, November 1st, is set on a nationwide basis and disadvantages producers in the upper Midwest.
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