Mike
Well-known member
Sparks Appalled by USDA over Hurricane Katrina Relief - OPED
Even though Florida has already been given nearly $1 billion in the last 15 months, many Alabama farmers may still have thought the allocation was a good sign for farmers here at home. So far, Alabama has not received a dime from the federal government for agriculture relief. Our farmers did not expect to be disappointed by US Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, but they have been. If Alabama farmers expect assistance from him, they may be waiting a long time.
Last week, I joined together with Louisiana's Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom to express our mutual disgust with the Secretary's decision to pile more money on Florida while ignoring the plight of other affected Gulf States. Although we received a fairly quick response to our outrage from Secretary Johanns' office, frankly, the content of our subsequent conference call with his staff members did not do much to dissuade our frustration. After the call, all I could think was, "too little, too late."
That is not to say that the Johanns staffers had nothing to offer as consolation. They assured us that money is coming; Johanns just hadn't thought to let anyone know how much or when. The money will be broken down and distributed to the following programs: $250 million for crop losses, $199 million to the Emergency Conservation Program, $300 million to the Emergency Watershed Program, $25 million in block grants to help with rebuilding the aquaculture industry, and $400 million for the Emergency Forestry CRP Program. That totals more than a billion dollars in relief funds, but it is to be divided among all of the Gulf States. Not only is the amount incomparable to the billions of damage to the region, but Johanns' staffers also would not commit to a timeline for the funds. Johanns could make the funds available now, or wait until a year from now.
Many people may ask, "Why should we help the farmers when they have crop insurance?" Most farmers do have insurance, but the reality is that payments to farmers on crop insurance are based on an average of five years of crop yield. Some of Alabama's farmers have had near zero yields for two years in a row. Just imagine what that does to an average crop insurance payment.
I realize that not everyone in the country understands how hard the hurricane season was on Alabama's farmers, but the United States Secretary of Agriculture is expected to know. He should know that Alabama and Louisiana both had 40 counties affected by hurricanes in 2005, more than any other state. He should know that Alabama had an estimated $650 million in damages. He should know that we need a disaster bill that protects farmers from this kind of devastation. The farmers in Alabama are too important to be ignored by USDA.
A good example of how easily the industry can be overlooked is with the seafood industry. FEMA views the seafood industry as agricultural and does not provide assistance, but the USDA does not recognize them as an agricultural industry, so who is supposed to help them? Meanwhile, fishing boats have been grounded, processors destroyed, and workers displaced. Is this the Secretary of Agriculture's problem? I think it should be. I think that when you have billions of dollars to distribute you try to find a way to be equitable. When the Secretary continues to give to one state and ignore others, it becomes hard to ignore the disparity. I ask myself why he would do that and I don't really like the answers I come up with.
Our only hope is the outstanding relationship that Alabama's agricultural industry has with our Congressional delegation. They understand the severity of the destruction. I only hope that Secretary Johanns will, and soon.
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March 13, 2006
Even though Florida has already been given nearly $1 billion in the last 15 months, many Alabama farmers may still have thought the allocation was a good sign for farmers here at home. So far, Alabama has not received a dime from the federal government for agriculture relief. Our farmers did not expect to be disappointed by US Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, but they have been. If Alabama farmers expect assistance from him, they may be waiting a long time.
Last week, I joined together with Louisiana's Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom to express our mutual disgust with the Secretary's decision to pile more money on Florida while ignoring the plight of other affected Gulf States. Although we received a fairly quick response to our outrage from Secretary Johanns' office, frankly, the content of our subsequent conference call with his staff members did not do much to dissuade our frustration. After the call, all I could think was, "too little, too late."
That is not to say that the Johanns staffers had nothing to offer as consolation. They assured us that money is coming; Johanns just hadn't thought to let anyone know how much or when. The money will be broken down and distributed to the following programs: $250 million for crop losses, $199 million to the Emergency Conservation Program, $300 million to the Emergency Watershed Program, $25 million in block grants to help with rebuilding the aquaculture industry, and $400 million for the Emergency Forestry CRP Program. That totals more than a billion dollars in relief funds, but it is to be divided among all of the Gulf States. Not only is the amount incomparable to the billions of damage to the region, but Johanns' staffers also would not commit to a timeline for the funds. Johanns could make the funds available now, or wait until a year from now.
Many people may ask, "Why should we help the farmers when they have crop insurance?" Most farmers do have insurance, but the reality is that payments to farmers on crop insurance are based on an average of five years of crop yield. Some of Alabama's farmers have had near zero yields for two years in a row. Just imagine what that does to an average crop insurance payment.
I realize that not everyone in the country understands how hard the hurricane season was on Alabama's farmers, but the United States Secretary of Agriculture is expected to know. He should know that Alabama and Louisiana both had 40 counties affected by hurricanes in 2005, more than any other state. He should know that Alabama had an estimated $650 million in damages. He should know that we need a disaster bill that protects farmers from this kind of devastation. The farmers in Alabama are too important to be ignored by USDA.
A good example of how easily the industry can be overlooked is with the seafood industry. FEMA views the seafood industry as agricultural and does not provide assistance, but the USDA does not recognize them as an agricultural industry, so who is supposed to help them? Meanwhile, fishing boats have been grounded, processors destroyed, and workers displaced. Is this the Secretary of Agriculture's problem? I think it should be. I think that when you have billions of dollars to distribute you try to find a way to be equitable. When the Secretary continues to give to one state and ignore others, it becomes hard to ignore the disparity. I ask myself why he would do that and I don't really like the answers I come up with.
Our only hope is the outstanding relationship that Alabama's agricultural industry has with our Congressional delegation. They understand the severity of the destruction. I only hope that Secretary Johanns will, and soon.
«Previous Page · 1 2 · Next Page»
March 13, 2006
