DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa officials are asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release land set aside for environmental reasons to help farmers recover from record flooding.Gov. Chet Culver and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey made the request on Thursday, in a letter sent to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schaeffer. They are asking that land now covered by the Conservation Reserve Program be released for growing hay and grazing as soon as possible.
The USDA has previously shown a willingness to release the land after nesting season -- around Aug. 1. Culver and Northey wrote, however, that the land needs to be released sooner so farmers and livestock operators can make a swift recovery from flooding.
"Releasing this acreage will guarantee that our producers are able to stay in production while ensuring we have the safest, most plentiful and affordable food supply in the world," Culver and Northey wrote.
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