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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The ongoing drought is having a profound effect on | ||||||
| 3 | both crop and livestock production; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture | ||||||
| 5 | (USDA) has designated 98 out of 102 counties in Illinois | ||||||
| 6 | disaster areas due to drought conditions; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The severe drought conditions are creating poor | ||||||
| 8 | pasture conditions and reducing forage yields making it more | ||||||
| 9 | difficult for farmers to feed their livestock; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced | ||||||
| 11 | that emergency haying and grazing will be allowed as of August | ||||||
| 12 | 2, 2012, for certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) | ||||||
| 13 | practices; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, The CRP practices included for emergency haying | ||||||
| 15 | and grazing do not currently include filter strips as an | ||||||
| 16 | eligible practice; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Allowing CRP filter strips to be utilized for | ||||||
| 18 | emergency haying and grazing would provide desperately needed | ||||||
| 19 | acreage for farmers to use as feed for their livestock; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Illinois State FSA has requested that filter | ||||||
| 2 | strips be utilized for emergency haying and grazing but the | ||||||
| 3 | federal government has not yet approved this request; and | ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, Filter strips should immediately be added to the | ||||||
| 5 | list of conservation practices eligible for emergency haying | ||||||
| 6 | and grazing; therefore, be it
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| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 8 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 9 | we urge the Governor, the Director of the Illinois Department | ||||||
| 10 | of Agriculture, and the members of the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
| 11 | delegation to take all action possible to encourage the U.S. | ||||||
| 12 | Secretary of Agriculture to immediately allow filter strips to | ||||||
| 13 | be recognized as a conservation practice eligible for emergency | ||||||
| 14 | haying and grazing in Illinois; and be it further
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| 15 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 16 | delivered to the Governor, the Illinois Director of | ||||||
| 17 | Agriculture, and the Illinois Congressional delegation.
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