Senator Hutchison -- Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2006
CONTACT: Chris Paulitz

SENATOR HUTCHISON ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $8 MILLION IN USDA FUNDING FOR TEXAS WILDLIFE RECOVERY

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Texas’ senior senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the release of $8.1 million in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding. The announcement follows a letter Sen. Hutchison sent this week to USDA Secretary Michael Johanns requesting the USDA provide ECP funding assistance to help farmers and ranchers recover from wildfire damage.

“Severe wildfires have caused extensive damage and significant losses in Texas, costing some farmers and ranchers their livelihoods,” Sen. Hutchison said. “They are working hard to overcome their losses and this critical funding will help this thriving Texas industry rebuild and recover.”

The ECP funds will help farmers and ranchers begin to rebuild thousands of miles of fencing and conservation structures that were damaged or destroyed by the devastating wildfires in Texas this month.

“We appreciate Senator Hutchison’s efforts to secure funding for rebuilding the agriculture infrastructure of the Texas Panhandle,” said Kenneth Dierschke, president of the Texas Farm Bureau. “At least 3,500 miles of fence will have to be replaced. These funds are an investment in the recovery of Panhandle agriculture from this devastating blow.”

Sen. Hutchison announced on Tuesday that the USDA established Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) guidelines which will bring critical assistance to livestock producers in the Texas Panhandle. The guidelines were set to help cattle producers in 27 north Texas counties and six Oklahoma counties by allowing producers to remove dry grass in, and move cattle to, CRP acreage to address the wildfire effects.

Agriculture producers in the following 16 counties will be eligible for the ECP funding: Carson, Collingsworth, Cooke, Donley, Gray, Hartley, Hemphill, Hood, Hutchinson, Oldham, Parker, Potter, Roberts, Somervell, Tom Green and Wheeler.