Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Bredesen Requests Federal Farm Relief

   Governor Phil Bredesen has requested a federal designation of natural disaster for agriculture for all 95 counties in Tennessee to help farmers who have suffered crop and livestock losses as a result of extreme drought conditions. A designation from USDA would allow farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans that could help them manage losses and plan for next year. Bredesen made the request in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.
   “Tennessee farmers have been hit hard twice already this growing season with the deep freeze in April and now with one of the worst droughts on record for this time of year,” said Bredesen. “It’s obvious even at this early stage that crop and livestock losses will be heavy. We want to ensure that our state’s farmers have access to all of the emergency assistance available to them to help them recover from this agricultural disaster.”
   Farmers across the state have experienced significant crop losses due to record below normal rainfall and unusually high temperatures for this time of year. In most areas of Tennessee, the rainfall deficit is 10 inches or more. The lack of rainfall has stunted development of major crops including corn and soybeans, which have seen the largest decline in condition in recent days.
State Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens says one of the most immediate and hardest hit areas of production is in the livestock sector, where producers have had to reduce and sell off cattle herds due to extremely poor pasture conditions and drastically reduced hay production.
   According to agricultural officials, hay production is down 50-80 percent in many areas of the state, and livestock producers are having to feed hay normally stockpiled for winter use. The USDA agricultural statistics office for Tennessee reported that three-fourths of the state’s pastures were rated in very poor-to-poor condition last week.
   “Cattle production alone accounts for more than $500 million in annual farm income. We want to help producers minimize their losses and have the latest information readily accessible on the availability of hay,” said Givens. The Tennessee Hay Directory is updated and made available by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. A listing of local and out-of-state sources can be found online at www.picktnproducts.org or at local Farm Bureau offices.
   Collecting damage estimates on a county by county basis is the first step in obtaining a federal designation of natural disaster, which could take several days or weeks. Once a county is approved, eligible farmers can apply for low-interest loans and other possible assistance through their local USDA Service Center.
   For a weekly report on crop conditions across the state, visit www.nass.usda.gov/tn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture makes this report available every Monday after 3 p.m. CST.

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