Emergency Funds to Farmers

 Late spring –early fall weather patterns in Idaho precipitate emergency pay-outs to crop producers. Farmers and ranchers in many areas of the nation have been hit hard by late planting and a protracted, wet harvest season and they would benefit greatly from the Agriculture Department maximizing farm bill emergency assistance programs, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Idaho’s weather fit right in with a letter that AFBF President Bob Stallman wrote to Secretary Tom Vilsack saying that “Farmers are experiencing both quality and quantity losses and many still do not have crops out of the fields,”.?

 Jake Putnam of the Idaho Farm Bureau has a strong perspective on this issue: “What we’re urging is that we need to get these disaster payments in and they need to be in the hands of our farmers where they can do some good. What’s really critical here is that we don’t want a single farm to go bankrupt. They need the money now and we’re urging Washington and congress to free up these funds.” Farm bill programs such as Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments and Emergency Loans to aid farmers and ranchers are in consideration.