BOUCHER ANNOUNCES DROUGHT AID FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA FARMERS

Farmers and Livestock Producers to Receive Federal Assistance

(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Representative Rick Boucher announced today that farmers and livestock producers in Southwest Virginia will be eligible to receive crop and feed assistance as a result of a large appropriations bill which will be approved by the House of Representatives later this evening. The legislation extends emergency funding made available to farmers harmed by drought conditions which occurred across the country during 2005 and 2006, to farmers who suffered drought losses in 2007. Accordingly, Southwest Virginia livestock producers and farmers who have experienced crop and feed loss as the result of drought conditions during this time period may now be eligible for the federal assistance.

"I am pleased that as a result of the approval of this agricultural disaster assistance package farmers in Southwest Virginia will receive the assistance they need to recover from crop and livestock feed losses," Boucher said.

The legislation will fund the Crop Disaster Program (CDP) and the Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) to provide direct federal payments to qualified farmers. These programs are emergency initiatives administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) which provides financial assistance to any farmer who conducts a qualified crop or livestock operation which is physically located in a Primary or Contiguous Disaster County. All localities in Southwest Virginia have been declared disaster areas due to the drought conditions which occurred during the past three years.

The Crop Disaster Program provides benefits to farmers who suffered crop losses from natural disasters and related conditions that occurred from 2005 through 2007. Producers who incurred qualifying losses during this time may choose the year they incurred the greatest losses for which to receive benefits. Farmers who have signed up previously to receive benefits for losses in 2005 or 2006 who have greater losses as the result of the 2007 drought, will be eligible to receive additional benefits for 2007. Boucher noted that the lack of precipitation experienced in Southwest Virginia during certain periods over the last three years, resulted in substantial damage to crops and justified the need for federal assistance.

Eligible Southwest Virginia livestock producers who exhausted their feed supply for livestock due to drought conditions in 2007, will be compensated through the Livestock Compensation Program. Qualified livestock include: beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo or beefalo, sheep, chicken, and goats. The payment rate for each livestock category will be 61% of the national payment rate, which will be determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farmers wishing to apply for assistance should contact their local Farm Service Agency offices.