President Bush signs funds for disaster assistance
President Bush signs funds for disaster assistance
WASHINGTON -- The wrestling match between Congress and President Bush on Iraq war funding ended when the president signed the bill May 25 to pay for military operations and the long-awaited $3 billion in emergency disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers.
"Producers across the countryside have been struggling for three long years to overcome the devastating effects of weather-related losses," National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said in a statement. "I am thrilled Congress, and now the president, has acted to ensure this much-needed assistance will soon be in the hands of those affected by devastating weather conditions."
California lawmakers have stepped up support for disaster assistance since January after extremely low temperatures devastated crops throughout the state. The deep freeze damaged much of the state's citrus, strawberries, avocados and other produce, triggering the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate more than a dozen counties as disaster areas.
The new law includes $16 million for cleaning up farmland destroyed by January's freezing temperatures, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) told The Produce News. "This should help a lot of California specialty crop producers."
It also included grants for public and private organizations that helped displaced workers when they lost their jobs due to the weather disaster. Congress approved the bill, and the president signed it after a controversial timetable for withdrawing troops from the Iraq war was dropped.
In earlier veto threats, President Bush had called the farmer disaster funds "unnecessary and unwarranted." It included $60 million to bail out salmon fishermen but did not include $25 million to help spinach farmers hurt by last year's voluntary recall. Mr. Bush said the spinach farmer became the "poster child" for critics, so the money was dropped from subsequent bills.
Under the new law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will dole out funds to farming operations that lost 35 percent or more of their crop in 2005, 2006 or 2007 and livestock producers in counties that experienced USDA- designated natural disasters during that time. Producers can apply for a disaster payment for only one of those three years, and for the first time, only farmers who had insured their crop through crop insurance or the Non- Insured Assistance Program are eligible for payments.
It will take at least five to seven months before the USDA can start processing applications, said Stevin Wescott, spokesperson for the USDA's Farm Service Agency.
Regulations have to be developed, software amended and signups conducted, and that usually takes five to seven months to get up and running, Mr. Wescott said. Once producers apply for the money, the law requires the USDA to act on the application in no more than 60 days. Producers will not have to provide evidence of the damage, however, since the law requires only farmers who had tapped the insurance process eligible, Mr. Wescott said.
The drafting of the 2007 farm bill began before Congress went home for Memorial Day recess, and specialty crop producers like what they see. Subcommittees of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee marked up energy, conservation and research components of the bill, many of which reflect the wish list drawn up by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.
"This year is an historic opportunity to develop federal farm policy that promotes a vibrant specialty crop industry, and this is just the beginning," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association.
The bill, as amended so far, would authorize $100 million per year for a specialty crop research initiative, include specialty crop waste as agricultural cellulosic biomass, and expand a cooperative conservation grant program to help growers adopt Good Agricultural Practices for food safety.
"We are definitely on the radar screen," said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. "But it will be challenging, particularly with such a tight budget situation."
Besides the farm bill debate, the produce industry is busy protecting the Senate-brokered comprehensive immigration reform bill, which is likely to come up for a vote in June.
"We are hoping we don't lose ground" over the Memorial Day recess, said Mr. Stuart.
Another issue on which produce leaders are keeping a close eye is the shape of federal food safety legislation in Congress.
Leaders in the House Agriculture Committee have said that reorganizing federal foodsafety agencies will be a priority next year after lawmakers finish the farm bill.
Everyone seems to believe that creating a new food-safety agency is not smart, particularly after witnessing some of the problems caused in creating the Department of Homeland Security, said Rep. Farr. "But something needs to be done."
Rep. Farr praised the produce industry for its recent testimony at a congressional committee. "They made a good impression. They asked for a federal partnership and asked for federal inspectors," he said.
"It was a positive opening request that shows we can work together to do these things."
"Producers across the countryside have been struggling for three long years to overcome the devastating effects of weather-related losses," National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said in a statement. "I am thrilled Congress, and now the president, has acted to ensure this much-needed assistance will soon be in the hands of those affected by devastating weather conditions."
California lawmakers have stepped up support for disaster assistance since January after extremely low temperatures devastated crops throughout the state. The deep freeze damaged much of the state's citrus, strawberries, avocados and other produce, triggering the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate more than a dozen counties as disaster areas.
The new law includes $16 million for cleaning up farmland destroyed by January's freezing temperatures, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) told The Produce News. "This should help a lot of California specialty crop producers."
It also included grants for public and private organizations that helped displaced workers when they lost their jobs due to the weather disaster. Congress approved the bill, and the president signed it after a controversial timetable for withdrawing troops from the Iraq war was dropped.
In earlier veto threats, President Bush had called the farmer disaster funds "unnecessary and unwarranted." It included $60 million to bail out salmon fishermen but did not include $25 million to help spinach farmers hurt by last year's voluntary recall. Mr. Bush said the spinach farmer became the "poster child" for critics, so the money was dropped from subsequent bills.
Under the new law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will dole out funds to farming operations that lost 35 percent or more of their crop in 2005, 2006 or 2007 and livestock producers in counties that experienced USDA- designated natural disasters during that time. Producers can apply for a disaster payment for only one of those three years, and for the first time, only farmers who had insured their crop through crop insurance or the Non- Insured Assistance Program are eligible for payments.
It will take at least five to seven months before the USDA can start processing applications, said Stevin Wescott, spokesperson for the USDA's Farm Service Agency.
Regulations have to be developed, software amended and signups conducted, and that usually takes five to seven months to get up and running, Mr. Wescott said. Once producers apply for the money, the law requires the USDA to act on the application in no more than 60 days. Producers will not have to provide evidence of the damage, however, since the law requires only farmers who had tapped the insurance process eligible, Mr. Wescott said.
The drafting of the 2007 farm bill began before Congress went home for Memorial Day recess, and specialty crop producers like what they see. Subcommittees of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee marked up energy, conservation and research components of the bill, many of which reflect the wish list drawn up by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.
"This year is an historic opportunity to develop federal farm policy that promotes a vibrant specialty crop industry, and this is just the beginning," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association.
The bill, as amended so far, would authorize $100 million per year for a specialty crop research initiative, include specialty crop waste as agricultural cellulosic biomass, and expand a cooperative conservation grant program to help growers adopt Good Agricultural Practices for food safety.
"We are definitely on the radar screen," said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. "But it will be challenging, particularly with such a tight budget situation."
Besides the farm bill debate, the produce industry is busy protecting the Senate-brokered comprehensive immigration reform bill, which is likely to come up for a vote in June.
"We are hoping we don't lose ground" over the Memorial Day recess, said Mr. Stuart.
Another issue on which produce leaders are keeping a close eye is the shape of federal food safety legislation in Congress.
Leaders in the House Agriculture Committee have said that reorganizing federal foodsafety agencies will be a priority next year after lawmakers finish the farm bill.
Everyone seems to believe that creating a new food-safety agency is not smart, particularly after witnessing some of the problems caused in creating the Department of Homeland Security, said Rep. Farr. "But something needs to be done."
Rep. Farr praised the produce industry for its recent testimony at a congressional committee. "They made a good impression. They asked for a federal partnership and asked for federal inspectors," he said.
"It was a positive opening request that shows we can work together to do these things."
