A federal judge halted a Bush administration plan to use grass on land enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program to feed livestock. The plan had enrolled 4,000 owners of conservation program lands who were going to be allowed to cut grass for hay, which isn’t allowed in the conservation agreement.
The National Wildlife Federation and other groups banded together to bring the case against the USDA, saying that haying and grazing on the land would destroy wildlife habitat. The judge indicated that the wildlife groups would likely win the case.
Exceptions have been made in Iowa for 1.8 million acres of land to be opened for grazing, due to pastures lost due to flooding, and this exception isn’t under dispute. Farmers are really hurting due to soaring corn prices..
