July 3, 2002

CRP and Pastures Are Good Candidates for NDSU's FEEDLIST

Farmers and ranchers willing to lease Conservation Research Program acres for haying or grazing to feed-strapped livestock producers can list those acres on a North Dakota State University database designed to help feed sellers and buyers get together. The database is also available for producers with other hay and pastures available.

FEEDLIST, accessible on the World Wide Web at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/feedlist/,  is an easy-to-use database showing what each seller has to sell, storage method (large round bales, small bales, etc.) and contact information. Prospective buyers walk the Web, pick their picks and contact prospective sellers to do a deal. There is no charge to either buyer or seller for using the NDSU Extension Service FEEDLIST. To make an entry on FEEDLIST, North Dakota residents should contact a county office of the NDSU Extension Service. Out-of-state buyers and sellers can submit entries to the list via an on-line form. Once hay has been sold or a purchase has been made, contact your county extension office to have the entry removed. Those without Internet access in North Dakota can view FEEDLIST at any county office.

Feedlist has been available during feed shortages since the late 1970s. "People sometimes forget that this isn't just truckloads of hay," says Roger Haugen, a livestock specialist with the NDSU Extension Service. "CRP hay, rental pastures, custom feeding and other feed sources are welcome and encouraged on the list."

Surrounding states have similar services and are linked to NDSU Extension's Coping with Droughts page at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/drought/drought.htm. There are some restrictions on haying CRP land, so producers should contact their local FSA office before final agreements are made.

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Source: Roger Haugen, (701) 231-7645, rohaugen@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu