Support Agriculture Assistance

May 19, 2006 - ?We urge you to support the agricultural disaster assistance provisions as included in the fiscal year 2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill when it is considered in conference.? This was the message delivered to appropriation committee members of the U.S. House of Representatives in preparation of the House-Senate conference.      Virtually every state in the nation has been impacted by significant weather-related and disaster losses with about 80 percent of U.S. counties being declared disaster or contiguous disaster counties last year due to devastating hurricanes, fires, floods, excessive moisture and severe drought.

?We believe the provisions in the supplemental appropriations measure are crafted in a manner that offers producers the combination of supplemental direct assistance and production-loss assistance that is both timely and tailored to meet all disaster-related losses,? the agricultural organizations concluded.

The American Sheep Industry Association was one of 27 signators to this letter.

Staff contact: Peter Orwick, ext. 33