Whitfield Working to Secure Assistance for Kentucky's Farmers | News | Congressman Ed Whitfield

News | Congressman Ed Whitfield | United States Representative

Whitfield Working to Secure Assistance for Kentucky's Farmers April 25, 2007 WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield wrote the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the House Agriculture Committee to request assistance for the thousands of Kentucky farmers who were negatively impacted by the freezing temperatures in April. Whitfield is requesting disaster funds from the USDA through the departments Farm Service Agency.

The government needs to recognize its responsibility to help these farmers who in many cases have lost their entire crop for the season due to the abnormal weather conditions, said Whitfield. The federal government has programs to assist farmers who lose crops in disasters and I will continue working to secure as much of this assistance as possible.

The letter sent to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson, asked the USDA to release disaster relief funds to help farmers recover from the irregular weather conditions. Whitfield informed Johanns and Peterson of the economic impact to the Commonwealth as well as to the families who tend to the 86,000 family farms in Kentucky.

In 2006, Kentucky wheat farmers raised approximately 320,000 acres of wheat, which generated nearly $78 million dollars in revenue for the Commonwealth, wrote Whitfield. In addition to wheat, other crops such as fruit, vegetables and alfalfa also generate million of dollars in revenue for Kentucky. The loss of crops to family farms will severely impact the financial stability of farmers and the local economies.

The USDAs Farm Service Agency has several programs which provide aid to farmers in extreme circumstances. Programs such as the Disaster Assistance Program and the Farm Loan Program will allow Kentuckys farmers to begin recuperating from their losses.

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