Schumer: Lewis County Farmers Are Suffering as a Result of Massive Flooding, USDA Must Grant A Disaster Declaration So Emergency Loans Are Available

Press Release

Today, at RiverEdge Dairy in Castorland, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer urged the USDA to issue a secretarial disaster declaration for Lewis and St. Lawrence counties due to the recent severe flooding, which has caused a widespread displacement of cattle and loss of feed and milk. The disaster declaration would make emergency low-interest loans from the USDA immediately available to impacted farmers in Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties, as well as any county that borders either of them. Schumer also detailed important disaster assistance programs included in the recently-passed Farm Bill, many of which will help farmers impacted by this flooding, including direct reimbursements for losses if they suffered a severe loss of crops or livestock. Specifically, he highlighted the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP), which was reauthorized and funded as a part of the Farm Bill that Schumer supported.

"After a winter of extreme cold brought on by the Polar Vortex, now farmers in the North Country have to contend with severe springtime flooding that has damaged feed and separated them from their livestock. The feds must step in and support these farmers by swiftly issuing a disaster declaration, which will unlock emergency low-interest loans that can help famers get through these tough times," said Schumer. "So, the U.S. Department of Agriculture must be on the ready in two key ways: first, by expeditiously issuing a disaster declaration and second, by ensuring that direct reimbursements go out quickly to eligible farmers who sustain livestock loss through the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program that I fought to pass through the Farm Bill."

Schumer was joined by Delvin and Sharon Lehman, owners of RiverEdge Dairy in Castorland, as well as Lewis County Cooperative Extension director, Michelle Ladoux, Lewis County Emergency Management Director James Martin and other Lewis County officials as he made this push on behalf of the county.

After cold weather brought significant amounts of snowfall to Central New York, temperature increases have quickly melted high elevation snow and led to significant flooding. Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties have been especially devastated by floods for weeks. These floods pose a significant threat to farms and their livestock. Farmers fear that their property will be left underwater and feed may be contaminated, and many farmers have been separated from their livestock. Further, local farmers have expressed concern that they may suffer a loss of their livestock due to the stress of their displacement, contaminated feed, or from standing in water for a prolonged period.

Therefore, Schumer pressed the USDA on two fronts to ensure Lewis and St. Lawrence County farmers were adequately covered by federal disaster assistance programs. First, Schumer called on Secretary Vilsack to issue a disaster declaration to enable farmers to apply for emergency, low-interest federal loans. Second, Schumer highlighted existing agricultural programs that provide disaster relief, including the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP). ELAP, which was recently reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, will help protect farmers from losses related to natural disasters, like floods, blizzards, or fires. In addition, Schumer touted the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), which provides a 75 percent reimbursement of livestock if they die from weather. And finally, he pointed to the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), which helps farmers repair their land after severe weather events.

Lewis County consists of roughly 160,000 acres of farmland. The county boasts over 26,000 cows and produces over 509 million pounds of milk a year. Many of the dairy farms are smaller, like the Lehman's, and consist of smaller cow herds. Schumer said it is exactly these kinds of farmers who should be accessing the benefits of the recently-passed Farm Bill as well as benefiting from any disaster declaration. Schumer also noted the importance small dairy farms like RiverEdge Dairy play in the Kraft supply chain of Lowville. RiverEdge is one of many local, Lewis county farms that supply Kraft with the dairy they use daily to produce over 1,000,000 pounds of cream cheese a week in Lewis County.

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