The USDA authorizes emergency use of preserved land.

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Due to dry conditions, some preserved land will now be available for livestock to graze.

In Indiana alone, about 280,000 acres belong to the Conservation Reserve Program or CRP. This kind of land usually doesn't have soil erosion and creates wildlife habitats.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorized the emergency use of this land for livestock producers. This means some livestock producers can use the land to feed their animals during the drought. U.S. Representatives asked the USDA to make the CRP lands available.

Not all counties in the area have been released for this, according to the USDA. Producers should check with their local FSA office.   

The USDA also declared 36 Indiana counties as primary disaster areas and 19 counties as contiguous disaster areas.

Very few acres in the Lafayette area are affected. The USDA said waterways, filter strips, wildlife plots or wetland reserve acres are not eligible.

"There's going to have to be an arrangement that's going to have to be made between the landlord and a potential tenant to be able to utilize these acres and not sacrifice the CRP program," said Cattleman Ron Lemenager.

"The effect of that is that's going to help reduce the overall cost to raise this livestock and bring the livestock to market, which means the price for our food as consumers, for your viewers, won't be as high," said U.S. Representative, Todd Rokita.

Lemenager said livestock producers, farmers, and landlords are paid by the government to keep livestock and crops.

Because of this emergency authorization, CRP land will be released to produce hay but Lemenager said that won't happen for at least another month. He said hay produced on CRP land will be a lower quality feed due to the dry conditions.

Only 50% of any eligible acres may be hayed and the hay cannot be sold, according to the USDA.

If grazed, land cannot be grazed at more than 75% of the normal stock rate or not more than 75% of the land can be grazed.

The USDA said before haying or grazing, a producer must visit the local FSA office and complete necessary paperwork and review nesting periods.

Approved producers will incur a 10% reduction in their annual payments for haying or grazing the CRP ground.