National Farmers Union

WASHINGTON (Sept. 12, 2006) – National Farmers Union, in conjunction with the National Association of Wheat Growers and the American Farm Bureau Federation and 31 other organizations, asked U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives leadership to debate and vote upon emergency disaster assistance before members of Congress return home for November elections.

“We are deeply concerned about the failure of Congress to enact emergency agricultural disaster assistance,” NFU President Tom Buis said. “Our groups urged the leaders to schedule time in the Senate and House to debate and vote upon emergency agricultural disaster legislation for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006 before Congress recesses in October.”

The coalition said it is encouraged by the Senate Appropriations Committee’s approval of $3.9 billion as a part of its FY2007 agriculture appropriations bill, but wants to ensure that that disaster legislation is voted upon as soon as possible.

More than 50 percent of all U.S. counties have been declared primary or contiguous disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this year. These designations are in addition to the nearly 80 percent of counties declared disasters in 2005. The economic impact of these disasters has a resounding effect on rural communities.

Buis said that disaster losses have hit farmers at the same time they are contending with falling or stagnant commodity prices and skyrocketing input costs due to increases in energy prices.

The coalition’s letter said that producers, creditors, rural businesses and families all need Congress to act as soon as possible in order to provide certainty for financial planning on the farm. The FY2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill provided well-deserved, but limited relief, to producers who suffered from hurricane-related production losses, but those that suffered from other weather-related disasters were left out.

“A disaster is a disaster, whether it is a hurricane, flood, drought, wildfire or other act of nature,” Buis said. “Our broad coalition of organizations concerned about rural America stands united in our call for swift congressional action before the October recess.”