Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Mark Dayton again urged passage of a comprehensive farm assistance package. Earlier today, national farm groups and dozens of senators and members of the Congress gathered to continue the fight for emergency disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers. They called on their colleagues and President Bush to support an agriculture disaster assistance package that would cover both 2005 and 2006 and provide more compensation than the current program of low-interest loans. USDA recently announced $780 million to help farmers in disaster areas, but in reality the funds are woefully inadequate for Minnesota’s needs.

“USDA’s announcement of $780 million to help American farmers in drought regions was pure fakery: $700 million was already owed to farmers under the law,” said Dayton. “USDA is really providing just $80 million of new money, of which Minnesota will receive only $705,000. Senator Conrad’s bill would provide real disaster aid for farmers in desperate need of real money, not fool’s gold.”

Senator Dayton is a cosponsor of the comprehensive, bipartisan agriculture disaster package that was introduced by Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND). Specifically, the aid package would help farmers impacted by frost, flood, and disease during the 2005 growing season, as well as producers suffering from natural disasters in 2006, including drought devastating the Midwest. The bill also contains a provision to help farmers cope with high energy prices.

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