WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Dan Glickman today regarding the equity of its policy governing penalty-free early break out of expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. This followed today's hearing at the House Subcommittee on Forestry, Resource Conservation, and Research on the 1997 CRP contract announcements.

"This policy unfairly establishes the 100th Meridian as the dividing line between what is deemed 'arid' and 'non-arid' land," Lucas said. "Additionally, that line has been extended approximately 100 miles eastward to include more land in Kansas but not in the other four states affected."

Producers who have Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts which are up in October, and who have not been accepted into the new CRP can opt to tear up their cover grasses early in order to get ready for a fall-seeded crop. If they are west of the 100th Meridian, they are defined as producers on arid land and may tear up their cover on May 1 or anytime after with no penalty.

Those producers to the east of that line must wait until July 1 to remove their cover to plant fall-seeded crops with no penalty, because they are not defined as arid. The 100th Meridian lies on the western Oklahoma-Texas border, excluding all of the Sixth District from the May 1 breakout date except for the Oklahoma panhandle. However, that line was moved approximately 100 miles east of the actual 100th Meridian in the state of Kansas only.

"I have constituents who can stand on their 'non-arid' land and be within eyesight of land that has been deemed 'arid'by the USDA," Lucas said. "I am not criticizing what has taken place in Kansas, but I would like to see all land that is truly arid be included in this early break out policy."

"After the USDA representative at the hearing today told me that the USDA is open to any suggestions I have on ways to better draw that line, and that they are always open to improving the program, you can bet I am going to make a few suggestions," Lucas continued.

"I have suggested in my letter to Secretary Glickman that they scrap the 100th Meridian as a factor in defining what is arid for early break out. I believe that using only rainfall levels would be a better gauge on what is arid and what is not," Lucas said. "If they cannot do that, then I recommend that they consider allowing counties in Oklahoma contiguous to the 100th Meridian and those that border the Kansas state line west of Highway 81 be allowed to break their land out penalty free.

Lucas expects that he will receive a rapid response to his suggestions from Secretary Glickman.