Neighbor,
With many livestock producers facing significant challenges with the drought our state is facing, I want to pass along some information from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources that may be of help regarding options for haying and grazing land enrolled in the Re-Invest in Minnesota conservation easement program.
Below is from an email I received from BWSR:
While stand-alone RIM easements are not included or affected by USDA emergency haying and grazing guidelines, there may be cases where partial haying or grazing could benefit the existing grass cover and provide some additional cattle forage. In these instances, District staff can request permission to hay or graze RIM easements.
Things to consider before submitting requests:
With the end of the nesting season fast approaching on August 1, many landowners/producers will want to move quickly. When sending requests for haying and grazing permissions, please include a map along with a draft unsigned agreement for our review. The Vegetation Enhancement: Haying and Grazing Agreement can be located here and requests can be directed to John Voz at john.voz@state.mn.us. More information can be found here.
Additional Considerations
Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information on USDA-NRCS programs.
I hope this helps and, as always, let me know if there's anything I can do to assist you.
-Steve