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Here is how to put your CRP stand back into forbs and legumes.

March 26, 2019

2 Min Read
man performing prescribed burn
BURN NOTICE: Farmers may choose to burn off portions of their CRP acres to reset the plant life. The Missouri Department of Conservation offers tips on performing a prescribed burn. Missouri Department of Conservation

Farmers with ground in the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program may be facing midcontract management on their acres this year.

Midcontract management refers to the disking, spraying or burning of a producer’s CRP acreage during certain years of their contract to set back the stand and promote the growth of wildflowers, forbs and legumes.

Farmers are required to perform midcontract management on half to one-third of each field during certain years of the CRP contract until each acre in the contract has been treated.

The provisions also allow producers with CRP contracts of 50 acres or less to complete their requirements on 100% of their acreage in one year.

Here are the management options:

  • Disking. Disked strips that are no more than 75 feet wide should be alternated with undisked strips across the field on the contour. The disking should be 2 to 4 inches.  Disking can be completed through March 31 or between July 16 and Sept. 30.  Farmers with less than 50 acres and who are working all the acres on the contract, you will need to disk the entire acreage, not just strips.

  • Spraying. For those farmers spraying, the application rates should follow the label for suppressing the stand without killing it. Farmers with cool-season grasses can spray their acreage until April 30, and those with warm-season grasses can spray between July 16 and Sept. 15.

  • Burning. Prescribed burns can be completed on up to one-third of the contract acres in a given year, including firebreaks. Farmers with cool-season grasses can burn until April 30, while producers with warm-season grasses have until March 31 or between July 16 and Sept. 30.

Cutting caution

Many producers request to rotary mow their acreage for midcontract management. Mowing by itself does not meet the midcontract management requirements. However, farmers can mow the acreage in conjunction with disking or spraying. If mowing is done with other management practices, it is eligible for cost-share.

Farmers can always rotary mow up to half of each field each year between July 16 and Sept. 1 without cost-share to keep weeds and brush maintained.

Call your local USDA FSA office with any questions about midcontract management, or whether you are required to complete midcontract management on CRP acreage in 2019.

Source: The USDA Farm Service Agency, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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