Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Mark Dayton today joined with 20 of his bipartisan colleagues, including Senator Norm Coleman, in a renewed push to help farmers struck by natural disasters in the 2005 and 2006 crop years. Dayton is cosponsor of a bill, introduced by Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), which would provide $4.9 billion to farmers and ranchers nationwide who have suffered losses due to droughts and other natural disasters. Similar legislation was approved by the Senate in April but, lacking the support of the President and many Republicans in Congress, the measure was defeated in conference negotiations with the House of Representatives.

“Almost half of the counties in Minnesota have been declared federal disaster areas this year. The crisis is real; the suffering is acute,” said Dayton. “So I ask my colleagues to once again support this legislation, and I plead with the House and the Administration to work out the differences, so that these farmers and their farms can be saved, so their families can be saved.”

Earlier this month, USDA declared 36 counties in Minnesota as primary natural disaster areas, due to persistent drought conditions. Today’s agriculture disaster assistance package would compensate farmers suffering from natural disasters in 2006, including the drought devastating the Midwest. The recent addition of the 2005 crop year to the disaster package would bring much needed relief to farmers in Northwestern Minnesota who are continuing to cope with damage caused by last year’s severe floods.

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