(Press release)
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.)
sent a letter
today to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack urging
him to move forward with Governor Jay Nixon’s request for a primary
disaster declaration for 114 counties in Missouri as a result of losses
incurred by farmers and ranchers due to extreme drought conditions.
“Agriculture is a primary driver of Missouri’s economy, and it is important that we provide the support our producers need as they suffer significant losses to crops, pasture, and livestock as a result of the record breaking heat and low precipitation,” the Senators wrote. “A disaster designation would give eligible producers in Missouri the additional support they need by allowing them to qualify for FSA emergency loans, emergency grazing and haying, and other financial assistance.”
In the letter, the senators encourage Secretary Vilsack to quickly move forward with Governor Nixon’s request to help farmers, ranchers, and rural communities recover from this severe drought.
The complete text of the letter is pasted below:
“Agriculture is a primary driver of Missouri’s economy, and it is important that we provide the support our producers need as they suffer significant losses to crops, pasture, and livestock as a result of the record breaking heat and low precipitation,” the Senators wrote. “A disaster designation would give eligible producers in Missouri the additional support they need by allowing them to qualify for FSA emergency loans, emergency grazing and haying, and other financial assistance.”
In the letter, the senators encourage Secretary Vilsack to quickly move forward with Governor Nixon’s request to help farmers, ranchers, and rural communities recover from this severe drought.
The complete text of the letter is pasted below:
July 11, 2012
The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Whitten Building, Room 200A
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Vilsack:
On
July 10, 2012, Governor Jay Nixon requested a primary disaster
declaration for 114 counties in Missouri as a result of losses incurred
by farmers and ranchers due to extreme
drought conditions. An assessment by the state Farm Service Agency
(FSA) has found that all counties in Missouri meet the disaster
threshold of having losses of at least 30 percent of the estimated yield
of a single crop or where individual farmers sustain
losses of more than 30 percent.
Agriculture is a primary driver of Missouri’s economy, and it is important
that we provide the support our producers need as they suffer
significant losses to crops, pasture, and livestock as a result of the
record breaking heat and low precipitation. A disaster designation would
give eligible producers in Missouri the additional
support they need by allowing them to qualify for FSA emergency loans,
emergency grazing and haying, and other financial assistance.
It is our hope that you will promptly grant Governor Nixon’s request to help farmers, ranchers,
and rural communities recover from this severe
drought. If you have any further questions regarding this or any other
matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Once again, thank you
for your consideration.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (Mo.)
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