| - Agriculture
Producers Have Suffered Extensive Crop and Livestock Production Losses as a result
of Natural Disasters During the 2001 and 2002 Production Years.
- Financial
Assistance is Needed Now! Please, Urge the House and Senate to Include Funding
for Emergency Disaster Assistance in the Final 2003 Appropriations Legislation!
U.S.
farmers and ranchers have had financial losses in 2001 and 2002 due to a variety
of natural disasters such as drought, flood, early freeze, frost, hurricane, tornado
or pests. Over 80% of all U.S. counties were declared disaster areas in 2002 (nearly
50% in 2001). Crop insurance, disaster loans, emergency haying and grazing of
Conservation Reserve Program acreage and the Livestock Compensation are incapable
of responding effectively to the expansive damage experienced across a large part
of the country. (See
USDA Farm Service Agency Disaster Assistance programs) Furthermore, outlays
for commodity programs under the new farm bill in 2003 are projected to be significantly
less than the annual average federal expenditures incurred since 1998. For
U.S. farmers and ranchers, the current production disaster is multi-faceted. In
many areas, drought has decimated row crops and forage and has reduced water supplies
available for livestock. In other regions, farmers are experiencing crop destruction
and reduced yields and quality due to flooding and an increased incidence of crop
pests and diseases. Especially hard hit are the specialty crops such as apples,
cherries and grapes in the Great Lakes region, the eastern states and the Pacific
Northwest that suffered frost, freeze and drought damage this season and adverse
weather in 2001 that caused a failure of the blossom set required to produce fruit.
In
September 2002, the U.S. Senate approved the agriculture disaster assistance amendment
to the Fiscal Year 2003 Department of Interior appropriations legislation. The
legislation would provide up to $6 billion nationwide in emergency funding to
partially offset agriculture production losses and increased feed costs as a result
of natural disasters, which includes drought. Assistance would be available to
all eligible crop and livestock producers, including specialty crop producers,
in counties designated as disaster areas by the Administration for both 2001 and
2002. The
National Grange policy on this issue is that it supports providing emergency loans
and management assistance during times of natural disasters to expedite the application,
review and granting process for these loans. The National Grange also supports
disaster aid relief that is based on individual rather than countywide losses.
The
National Grange and 31 other agricultural groups sent a coalition
letter to the Member of Congress to urge their active engagement and support
upon convening the 108th Congress of the emergency disaster assistance legislation
passed by the Senate last session. - Please
bring the following points to your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.
-
Emergency Disaster Assistance must cover both crop and livestock
losses.
- Emergency
Disaster Assistance must address all natural disasters.
- Emergency
Disaster Assistance must cover losses in both 2001 and 2002.
- Funding
must be "emergency" - Do not cut farm bill program spending.
- Existing
crop insurance, commodity and disaster programs are inadequate to meet current
needs.
Action
Plan --- Please send a letter/email/fax and make a phone call to your Senators
and House Representatives to urge the passage of emergency disaster assistance
legislation! If you want to find your Senators and House Representative contact
information, please click the following. Senators
House Representative
If
you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst
Chil-Sook Hwang by fax: 202-347-1091
or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109. Thank you for your grassroots participation
in the National Grange Legislative program. Want
to Subscribe To  ? For
all subscription and circulation inquiries, Contact: Jonathan
Hill. | 
