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Bipartisan house bill to open CRP lands for cattle feeding

A bipartisan house bill would allow the USDA to open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands to be used for hay production and cattle grazing.

The bill, introduced by U.S. representatives Angie Craig of Minnesota and Roger Marshall of Kansas, aims to provide cattle producers more ground to feed on while feed lots are full.

R-Calf CEO, Bill Bullard said the PASTURE (Pandemic Authority Suitable To Utilize Reserve Easements) Act should help relieve the back log in the cattle supply chain.

“It should give our industry the ability to hold cattle back, so we don’t succumb to what’s happened in the hog and poultry industries where they’ve had to euthanize millions of animals,” Bullard said.

He said for most producers, relief cannot come soon enough.

“We just don’t know how quickly congress can act,” Bullard said. “They need to act quickly because the problem that we’re experiencing is right now, and we need a solution right now.”

Currently, CRP lands are only able to be used for livestock feeding during extreme weather events.