WASHINGTON - Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel asked the U.S. Agriculture Department yesterday to allow drought-stricken farmers in his state to use environmentally-sensitive land to help feed their livestock.
Hagel, a Republican, said emergency haying on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in Nebraska was necessary because grazing has been hurt by parched land and grasshopper infestations. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Hagel said the emergency help "may prevent further liquidation of Nebraska's livestock."
Land enrolled in the conservation program is set aside to prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat and improve water quality.
The USDA last week declared 32 Nebraska counties as agricultural disasters, making farmers eligible for emergency farm loans.
The drought throughout the Plains states has withered crops and forced many ranchers to take their cattle to slaughter earlier than planned. The extra supply of beef is one factor blamed for a fall in cattle prices in recent weeks.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. government weather forecasters said the drought worsened in the Plains states during the past few days. Western Nebraska has been in the grip of a drought for weeks, and abnormally dry conditions spread eastward into southeastern Nebraska during the past days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.:
