Variances Being Granted to Farmers to Smooth Eroded Fields

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Announcer:

Farmers in counties declared federal disaster areas after last year’s flooding may be able to smooth out eroded fields. Here’s Barb Stewart with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS):

Barb Stewart (mp3) (:28)

Script: "Heavy rains last year caused small gullies and rill erosion in many areas in the field. NRCS is granting variances to Iowa farmers to allow limited tillage to smooth these eroded areas. Variances allow producers to spot-till without penalty small areas of the field. Contact your local NRCS office to apply for a variance. Farmers need to stay in compliance with their conservation plan to be eligible for Farm Bill programs."

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Contacts:
Stewart is Iowa NRCS’ state agronomist. She can be reached at 515-577-2675.
John Myers, Iowa NRCS State Resource Conservationists, is also available for comment. He can be reached at 515-284-4370.

For more information on compliance variances, please see: http://www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/ComplianceVariances.html

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