03/27/07 More emphasis on CRP maintenance

Washington Ag March Conservation Reserve Program contract holders beware! The Farm Service Agency is going to put more emphasis on making sure landowners fulfill the obligations in the CRP contracts they signed. That's the word from Jack Silzel state FSA Director. Silzel: "Maintenance is part of the contract. When a person signs a CRP contract he signs that he is going to maintain and I think that is something that FSA is going to be watching more closely in the future. So I advise all farmers with CRP be sure you have a management plan to control noxious weeds as well as the stand itself to make sure you fulfilling the agreement you signed with the government, which in turn you are signing with the taxpayers." And if you are an absentee landowner, have you checked on your CRP lately? Silzel: "It is the person who has his name on the bottom line. It is like any contract. You can hire someone to do it but ultimately the signee will be the person responsible." At a recent meeting of the Washington Wheat Commission Silzel acknowledged that there is wide variation in how County FSA Committees enforce the rules on CRP. I'm Bob Hoff.