Gov. John Hoeven pressed Thursday for access to hay and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program land, to make up for supplies damaged by heavy rain and flooding.

"This action to allow haying would help livestock producers secure feed, since in many cases, their traditional hay and pasture areas are inundated," Hoeven wrote in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "This small measure can help provide some relief to livestock producers who are struggling to acquire enough feed to maintain their herds."

Hoeven said he also wrote to State Farm Service Agency Director Gary Nelson, asking the agency to push the opening of the CRP land.

Hoeven said he made the request following visits to regions hit hard from recent storms.

CRP land normally is left idle to protect against erosion. Farmers who put their land into the CRP receive federal payments to take their land out of production. Ranchers can hay it under a provision called managed haying, though their government rental payments are reduced.

Hoeven's request does not specify where or how much conservation land he wants open.

Lance Gaebe, a farm policy adviser to Hoeven, said most of the damaged hay and pasture land is in the north, east and southeast parts of the state.

Last year, the U.S. Agriculture Department agreed to allow hay cutting on conservation land in 11 southwestern North Dakota counties, to boost cattle feed supplies in the drought-stricken region.

Gaebe said the southwest part of the state has received adequate rain so far this year.