Price Support

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET August 2017

Graze-Out Payments

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 

Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides for GrazeOut payments to eligible producers who:

• Elect to use their acreage planted to barley, 

oats, triticale or wheat for livestock grazing; 

and

• Agree to forgo harvesting the commodity 

during the applicable crop year.

Triticale is grain that, before the removal of 

dockage, consists of 50 percent or more of triticale 

(X Triticosecale Wittmack) and not more than 

10 percent of other grains for which standards have 

been established under the U.S. Grain Standards 

Act.

The requested Graze-Out acreage is not eligible 

for:

• Any marketing assistance loans or loan 

deficiency payments (LDP) for the crop;

• A crop insurance indemnity for the same field 

and tract grazed; and

• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program 

for the crop.

Graze-Out payments are subject to the same basic 

eligibility requirements as LDPs, including, but not 

limited to, the following:

• Payment limitation;

• Person determination;

• Beneficial interest;

• Share in commodity on form FSA-578;

• Adjusted gross income provisions;

• Conservation compliance; and

• Grazed acres must be considered cropland and 

reported on form FSA-578 with the intended or 

actual use of “Grazing.”

APPLICATION PERIOD FOR GRAZEOUT

The application period for Graze-Out:

• Begins on the first day of normal mechanical 

harvest as determined by the county committee 

(COC); and

• Ends on March 31 of the calendar year 

following the year the crop is normally 

harvested.

COCs are responsible for determining the normal 

beginning harvest date in the county for barley, 

oats, triticale or wheat. This will be the earlier of 

the normal harvest date for grain or the normal 

harvest date when harvested as other than grain.

REQUESTING GRAZE-OUT PAYMENTS

Producers must request Graze-Out payments on 

form CCC-633 GRAZING by farm serial number 

by March 31 of the calendar year following the 

year the crop is normally harvested.

If multiple producers share in the acreage:

• All signatures must be obtained in order for 

the request to be considered complete; and

• The shares of those signing must be for 

100 percent of the grazed acreage.

Eligible producers can submit form CCC-633 

GRAZING to the FSA administrative county office 

for the farm using any of the following methods:

• In person;

• Mail;

• Telephone;

• FAX; or

• Through eForms.
FACT SHEET

Graze-Out Payments August 2017

GRAZE-OUT PAYMENT RATE

The Graze-Out payment rate is the LDP rate in 

effect for the farm on the date that the producer 

submits a complete program application (form 

CCC-633 GRAZING) in the FSA administrative 

county office for the farm. For triticale, the GrazeOut rate is equal to the LDP rate in effect for the 

predominant class of wheat in the county where 

the farm is located as of the date the application is 

filed.

GRAZE-OUT YIELD

For Graze-Out, the yields are determined as 

follows:

• Payment yield is yield in effect for calculating 

the Price Loss Coverage payment yield with 

respect to the commodity on the farm;

• For a farm for which Agriculture Risk 

Coverage is elected, the Price Loss Coverage 

payment yield irrespective of such election; 

and

• If no payment yield is established, an 

appropriate yield as determined by COC.

The Graze-Out payment is calculated by 

multiplying the actual grazed acreage requested 

for grazing times the applicable yield times the 

payment rate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

This fact sheet is provided for informational 

purposes only; other restrictions may apply. 

For more information about this and other FSA 

programs, contact your local FSA office. To find 

your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.

_________________________________________

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, 

the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited 

from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, 

sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income 

derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program 

or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by 

program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online 

at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any 

USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in 

the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request 

a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by:

1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant

 Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW

 Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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