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Louisiana farmers hope to get disaster help before Congress adjourns next week

09/16/08

Louisiana farmers face a short window if they hope to secure help from Congress to mitigate heavy agricultural losses caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike this fall, state Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said today.

Strain, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation president Ronnie Anderson, Louisiana Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Francis Thompson and others met with Louisiana’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., today.

"Our time is very short,"" Strain said. "Congress will adjourn next week and may not be back until January.""

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., told the group that she will schedule hearings before her Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee next week.

Strain said that Louisiana officials are lobbying for "supplemental appropriations to help" outside of regular disaster payments.

The LSU AgCenter's preliminary estimate predicts crop losses of up to $470 million, but Strain said he believes that estimate is too low.

Anderson said that the delegation "understands the problem, and they’re looking for solutions, but time will be a factor."

Fifth District U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, said the time crunch will make it difficult to secure relief before November.

"I believe we'll get some degree of help, but the problem is when we'll get it," Alexander said. "Congress adjourns on (Sept. 26), and I think it's unlikely we’ll get anything done by then.

"But I do believe we’ll be back for a lame duck session in November, so we have to have something ready to go then if we’re not able to push it through next week."

Anderson said among the options would be accessing $4 billion in discretionary disaster money that is available in the Farm Bill, but he’s not confident that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer will release those funds.

"Other regions like the Midwest have already asked for some of that money, and so far (Shafer) hasn't distributed any of it," he said.

Anderson also said he believes allowing farmers to buy retroactive crop insurance, as some producers hope, "is a longshot."

Thompson, D-Delhi, emphasized the damage to Louisiana’s rural economy.

"I don’t want us to be overshadowed by the urban areas,” Thompson said. "This has an impact on every aspect of our economy. I’ve never seen this kind of devastation in my 35 years in the Legislature."

Strain, Anderson, Mitch Landrieu and others are scheduled to meet with Shafer Wednesday and possibly go before Landrieu’s committee next week. “They’re asking us to come back to testify on Tuesday week,” Strain said.

Meanwhile, Vendal Fairchild, who farms with his son Ken in East Carroll and West Carroll parishes, said some northeastern Louisiana fields remain under water.

"We’re trying to salvage what we can, but it’s a mess,” Fairchild said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what kind of damage everyone’s experienced.”

Fairchild said one of his 750-acre soybean fields is a total loss, and his rice and corn yields are substantially diminished.

"We can’t farm ourselves out of this,” Fairchild said. “It’s going to take some kind of disaster payments."