USDA Secretary Vilsack Assures Sen. Cornyn Long-Awaited Ag Disaster Relief Will Be Distributed In September
Press Release
USDA Secretary Vilsack Assures Sen. Cornyn Long-Awaited Ag Disaster Relief Will Be Distributed In September
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, yesterday spoke with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding a number of issues of importance to Texas farmers and ranchers. Sen. Cornyn requested the call to follow up on his July 16th letter in which he asked the Secretary to explain the delay in delivering much-needed and already-approved federal drought relief to Texas farmers and ranchers. Specifically, Sen. Cornyn inquired as to why $3 billion in emergency drought relief funding, which was approved and signed into law more than one year ago as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, has yet to be released. The funds were to be distributed through a new program called the Supplemental Revenue Assurance fund (SURE).
"I was pleased to hear from Secretary Vilsack that the SURE fund will be finally up and running in September. While this is certainly overdue, seeing as it was signed into law more than a year ago, it will be welcome news to the Texas farmers and ranchers who have suffered through this year's devastating drought - the worst some parts of Texas have seen in 50 years.
"I also asked the Secretary to expedite a request for livestock assistance made recently by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. During previous natural disasters, USDA has permitted emergency haying and grazing on CRP acreage, and similar action is needed during this drought. Animal feed is becoming scarce, and opening CRP land to emergency haying and grazing for livestock will provide immediate relief.
"I will continue to do all I can to ensure our farmers and ranchers who play a central role in our Texas' economy are receiving the necessary assistance to survive this period of record heat. As the second most productive agricultural state in the nation, it's imperative we support our agriculture industry, and I will be working to hold the Administration accountable to promises made."
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