12/10/07 A flood relief fund for agriculture

Washington Ag December 10, 2007 A relief fund is being established by the Washington State Farm Bureau to help agricultural producers impacted by last week's flooding in western Washington. Lewis County Farm Bureau president Ron Mauel says dairies were hit hard in his area. Mauel: "I have been hearing numbers all over the place but I am hearing about 700-1,000 animals lost. Some dairies lost 75, they lost 100, they lost lost 300." With regular hay shipments now getting through Mauel says the focus has turned to a relief fund to help producers recover. Mauel: "When you have five foot of mud and ten foot of water, you've lost your herd, it is going to be a long term recovery just to get their dairies back up and running again and then replace their animals." You can find out more about the Farm Bureau relief fund at its website www.wsfb . The Washington State Department of Ecology says that when a state of emergency is declared, the law allows for permits to be issued to burn natural vegetation left on land by storms or floods. You can find out more from the fact sheet Disposing of Storm and Flood Debris on Ecology's website. USDA's Rural Development say it will make low-interest loans and grants available to rural residents in storm affected areas to repair damage to their homes. Contact the closest Rural Development office to see if you qualify. I'm Bob Hoff.