Louisiana Farm Bureau Seeks Disaster Aid from US House and Senate Appropriations Committees

By Avery J. Davidson

Louisiana Farm Bureau News

A letter is now in the hands of the chairs of U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies and the Ranking Republican Members on those subcommittees seeking aid for farmers and ranchers who suffered losses due to weather disasters in 2022. 

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, along with 46 other groups representing several commodities and states, signed the letter addressed to Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and John Hoeven of North Dakota and Congressmen Sanford Bishop, Jr. of Georgia and Dr. Andy Harris of Maryland. The timing of this letter is important as the subcommittees begin work on the 2023 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. 

From the letter, “Farm and ranch families from across the country continue to be harmed by extraordinary natural disasters, including a severe and chronic drought gripping much of the United States, Hurricane Ian, damaging freezes in the southeastern U.S. earlier this year, and late planting due to flooding and other weather conditions, to name only a few hardships facing producers in 2022.” 

“Our farmers who lost soybeans right at harvest because of persistent rains in August need help now,” said Louisiana Farm Bureau President Jim Harper. “They’ve just paid for the most expensive crop they’ve ever grown and now they have little to nothing to show for it.”

Read the entire letter here.