South Dakota blizzard brings pressure on farm bill, rural shutdown
October 09, 2013 | 06:43 PM
South Dakota’s weekend blizzard is turning the state into Republican action central for passage of a new farm bill and an end to the government shutdown or at least a reopening of key offices in rural areas.
A major snowstorm last Friday and Saturday killed at least 60,000 cattle, Reuters reported, while other estimates have the figure still higher.
The current farm program contains no livestock disaster aid, but the new farm bill would reauthorize it and is likely to backdate the program so that ranchers would be able to include this year’s losses.
Meanwhile, the shutdown of Farm Service Agency offices means that ranchers have no place to get advice on what records they need to keep in order to file claims in the future.
Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said in a news release Tuesday that she had discussed the situation with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and that Boehner had reassured her that he would appoint conferees within the next week.
“We need to move quickly to get a five-year farm bill completed," Noem said in the news release.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., also wrote Boehner that he should appoint conferees because the livestock benefits are needed in South Dakota and other states that experienced the storm.
Thune also urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reopen the FSA local offices in South Dakota.
A Vilsack spokeswoman said that USDA could not do so.
“Due to the government shutdown, we are unable to open these FSA offices,” the spokeswoman said. “That is why Congress needs to end the government shutdown as soon as possible so that USDA can get back to serving the farmers and ranchers who depend on us. Congress must also pass a farm bill to provide farmers with critical disaster programs that they have been without for two years.”
A major snowstorm last Friday and Saturday killed at least 60,000 cattle, Reuters reported, while other estimates have the figure still higher.
The current farm program contains no livestock disaster aid, but the new farm bill would reauthorize it and is likely to backdate the program so that ranchers would be able to include this year’s losses.
Meanwhile, the shutdown of Farm Service Agency offices means that ranchers have no place to get advice on what records they need to keep in order to file claims in the future.
Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said in a news release Tuesday that she had discussed the situation with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and that Boehner had reassured her that he would appoint conferees within the next week.
“We need to move quickly to get a five-year farm bill completed," Noem said in the news release.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., also wrote Boehner that he should appoint conferees because the livestock benefits are needed in South Dakota and other states that experienced the storm.
Thune also urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reopen the FSA local offices in South Dakota.
A Vilsack spokeswoman said that USDA could not do so.
“Due to the government shutdown, we are unable to open these FSA offices,” the spokeswoman said. “That is why Congress needs to end the government shutdown as soon as possible so that USDA can get back to serving the farmers and ranchers who depend on us. Congress must also pass a farm bill to provide farmers with critical disaster programs that they have been without for two years.”
