Emergency Haying in SD

waterdog09

waterdog09

Active member
Curious what anyone that actually lives in SD knows about how the Emergency haying works? I have hunted in SD for over 25 years and the past couple years the haying has been extensive! Some of the ground whether CREP or Walk In has been hayed numerous years in a row. I know when a land owner signs up for CREP they also have a obligation to hay or graze the land at certain points of the contract. What myself and the guys I hunt with don't understand is how can they do it numerous years in a row? Some of the pieces of CREP have been hayed 100% 2-3 years in a row? I know there is thresholds for what can be hayed depending on how bad the drought is, but my questions is can the land owners then take that hay and sell it and are they still being paid from the state for the access in the CREP program? Basically double dipping? This year was really bad and we were more than frustrated at the amount of haying and bales sitting out rotting in the fields? Does anyone have actual info on this and who we could contact on this issue? I want to believe my $25 habitat fee is actually going to something!
 
South Dakota over the past two years has been in a significant drought, so that may be a reason the CRP was hayed two years in a row. Normally CRP is planted in year one and mowed to help with weed control. Year two and three the field is normally left alone except for spot mowing or spraying for weed control. After that CRP can normally be hayed every three years or hayed every year in 1/3rds. We have been told that we cannot sell our CRP hay, however livestock owners contact us all the time asking to hay our CRP, especially in drought situations. CRP hay is generally pretty poor for cattle feed and the hay normally gets grind and mixed with other hay before feeding. The FSA office has to approve all haying on CRP acres. The NRCS and Conservation Districts conduct CRP checks to monitor compliance. I don't believe you can call the FSA and ask if land owner X is in compliance due to privacy agreements. As for habitat fee and where that money goes, well that is a good question. I'm sure there is a report by the GFP on how much money was collected and where it is spent.
I do know that the GFP has hired our Conservation district to plant additional trees acres at game production areas. A couple have also increased the planting of food plots. I know that land owners are being encouraged to sign up for CREP but landowners are resistant to allowing access.
 
sdviking said:
South Dakota over the past two years has been in a significant drought, so that may be a reason the CRP was hayed two years in a row. Normally CRP is planted in year one and mowed to help with weed control. Year two and three the field is normally left alone except for spot mowing or spraying for weed control. After that CRP can normally be hayed every three years or hayed every year in 1/3rds. We have been told that we cannot sell our CRP hay, however livestock owners contact us all the time asking to hay our CRP, especially in drought situations. CRP hay is generally pretty poor for cattle feed and the hay normally gets grind and mixed with other hay before feeding. The FSA office has to approve all haying on CRP acres. The NRCS and Conservation Districts conduct CRP checks to monitor compliance. I don't believe you can call the FSA and ask if land owner X is in compliance due to privacy agreements. As for habitat fee and where that money goes, well that is a good question. I'm sure there is a report by the GFP on how much money was collected and where it is spent.
I do know that the GFP has hired our Conservation district to plant additional trees acres at game production areas. A couple have also increased the planting of food plots. I know that land owners are being encouraged to sign up for CREP but landowners are resistant to allowing access.
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Very nice explanation, thanks for info SDViking.
 
Miforester said:
Very nice explanation, thanks for info SDViking.
Click to expand...
One other thing I forgot to mention, Land owners pay between 30 and 40 an acre to hay it under normal conditions. Under the new Biden Green initiative, there seems to be more carbon capture and conservation programs coming available for farmers to help with boarders around fields and wetlands plus more grassland waterways to help clean up water quality. We will see how the new farm bill is written.

Just me ranting:
In my humble opinion. Smaller land owners seem to plant more tree belts, plant late season cover crops and maintain more field borders in grass. The larger corporate farmers, due to the large acres they farm, tend to do more fall tillage (in order to get in the field earlier) remove field border grass areas, and drain tile the low areas. All these actions are to be as profitable as possible. But these practices reduce habitat significantly. They also are more likely to lease their land to hunting clubs or outfitters in order to hunt waterfowl during the migration periods. However, this past year more of the bigger land owners are planting more CPR squaring off fields because they don't want to come back for a partial pass with their big equipment. Will be interesting to see how these areas develop over the next few years. Sorry for the rant.
 
sdviking said:
Under the new Biden Green initiative, there seems to be more carbon capture and conservation programs coming available for farmers to help with boarders around fields and wetlands plus more grassland waterways to help clean up water quality. We will see how the new farm bill is written.
Click to expand...
It will be interesting to see how the carbon initiatives impact crp, im well versed in carbon and trees, but grasses is another story. Again thanks for the information.
 
Miforester said:
It will be interesting to see how the carbon initiatives impact crp, im well versed in carbon and trees, but grasses is another story. Again thanks for the information.
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Im sure you’re aware of this, but for those who are not, root structure of native prairie grasses are EXTENSIVE! If done correctly, plantings can stabilize soils, sequester a huge amount of carbon underground almost as much as mature forests, and provide both wildlife habitat and ag forage.
 

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waterdog09 said:
Curious what anyone that actually lives in SD knows about how the Emergency haying works? I have hunted in SD for over 25 years and the past couple years the haying has been extensive! Some of the ground whether CREP or Walk In has been hayed numerous years in a row. I know when a land owner signs up for CREP they also have a obligation to hay or graze the land at certain points of the contract. What myself and the guys I hunt with don't understand is how can they do it numerous years in a row? Some of the pieces of CREP have been hayed 100% 2-3 years in a row? I know there is thresholds for what can be hayed depending on how bad the drought is, but my questions is can the land owners then take that hay and sell it and are they still being paid from the state for the access in the CREP program? Basically double dipping? This year was really bad and we were more than frustrated at the amount of haying and bales sitting out rotting in the fields? Does anyone have actual info on this and who we could contact on this issue? I want to believe my $25 habitat fee is actually going to something!
Click to expand...

This should answer some of your questions. But the short answer is they get a way smaller payment if the habitat is removed, if I remember correctly its about a $1 an acre without habitat versus $8 an acre if the habitat remains.
 
Just returned from a scouting trip in the area we hunt, the last couple of years all the CREP land in the area was hayed or grazed 100%, this year it looks like everything was either left alone or if it was hayed it was only 50% so that's promising for the upcoming season. Did see a lot of birds in the areas we hunt. Highlight of the short 18hr trip was driving around in the morning and seeing about 20-30 birds using the haybales to dry off and sun themselves in the morning.
 
The haying is an extreme gray area. In Kansas it has became a joke of double dipping every year and Kansas is not getting any money back from the producers. They, the producers, take the walk in payment and sell the hay every year. I hope SD does a better job of managing it. As for the habitat stamp, I was very disappointed to see a large portion of the funds go to lake projects and boat ramp maintenance etc. I didn't mind a bit paying the extra stamp but when it's not going directly to habitat I feel like I've been "governmented" once again. If the lakes can't pay for themselves maybe a higher day pass there is in order.
 
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SD GFP says “emergency haying and grazing may be happening in limited counties in SE SD”…..found in the pheasant hunting outlook.
 
I was just in North-Central SD and did not see any new haying of public ground in that area this year. But, I did notice that areas hayed in recent years are still struggling to recover. Some were hayed as far back as the 2017 drought (according to my notes in OnX) and still have not come back to their former glory. Seems that once hayed, unless they burn it and/or replant it, it comes back thin and dominated by brome grass.
 
So crp and crep have to be managed. If management haying was done 3 years ago and 2 years of emergency haying, well now you still don't like it but can understand it.

I don't understand why the farmers get so much aid?
 
I’ve been hunting sharpies west river, would really like to get into some chickens. Is the Ft Pierre area a good place to start?
 
I would say the farther S you go, the better chance you have. I hunted near Norris SD for several years. Saw thousands of birds/trip & never brought a chicken to hand, all sharpies. I hunted N of Basset NE 2 years & saw just about as many birds. Chickens/sharpies were about 60/40 sharpies. Many phez & quite a few quail. That was about 35 yrs ago.
 
Emergency haying is initiated by the FSA county committee (locally elected producers), using the drought monitor. When the monitor shows D2 drought or worse, plus a 40% or greater loss of forage, the committee will announce that haying is authorized. It usually goes by counties, but other boundaries may be set. The haying must be done after the primary nesting season. Producers can use the hay themselves or sell it, or the right for someone else to hay the ground. If conditions improve (drought monitor shows conditions normal-D1} haying authorization can be cancelled.
 
Haying is a fucking joke...... I could drive ya to multiple fields right now that have huge piles of hay bays next to em. 2 or 3 years old,rotting away. It's one thing if the cows need it or what not but when ya cut it and then stack it up to rot. That's fuckin horse shit... now grazing on the other hand. That can get a little shitty at times also haha
 
Most cattleman in my area like to have 2-3 years' worth of hay on hand to cover the inevitable drought, which also may last 2-3 years. Also, storing the hay
What you think is hay rotting in the field, is money in the bank for me.
 
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