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Cover crop FEEDD act reintroduced

A bipartisan bill has been reintroduced in Congress to help farmers and ranchers with livestock feed shortages during seasons with high levels of prevent plant from too much moisture or from drought.

The Feed Emergency Enhancement, or FEEDD, Act would give USDA emergency waiver authority to all producers to graze, hay or chop a cover crop before November first in the face of a feed shortage cause by a weather disaster.

The USDA, in 2019 and ’20, did provide an administrative fix to allow haying and grazing after urging from Congress.

South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson says a one-sized-fits-all approach doesn’t always work and the cover crop harvest date is a good example where that falls short.

With the waiver, the sponsors say producers would not have to take a further discount on their crop insurance. The bill also directs the Ag Secretary to establish regional “harvest dates” for each crop year.

Co-sponsors with Johnson are Angie Craig (D-MN) and, in the Senate, John Hoeven (R-ND) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).