The U.S. federal government will allow livestock to graze on thousands of acres (hectares) of land set aside for conservation as a part of its response to record flooding in the Midwest.The move, announced late Monday, is a response to what U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Schaeffer called a "crisis situation in the Midwest and other parts of the country that calls for drastic action."
The release of land in the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program is designed to provide some relief to farmers _ particularly livestock producers _ who have struggled to cope with rising grain prices and spring floods that have left their fields sopping.
The USDA's decision stopped short of allowing the conservation land to be used for hay. But it will open up thousands of acres (hectares) in the Midwest to grazing.
Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he would continue to pressure Schaeffer to release conservation land to grow hay. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver agreed that Monday's announcement "must be an initial, and not a final step."
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