March 2, 2004

WASHINGTON – Rep. Tom Petri reports that, due to losses caused by drought last summer, 59 Wisconsin counties have been designated agricultural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An additional 11 counties received contiguous disaster designation.

This designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency.

"Our hard-pressed farmers certainly need assistance as a result of the drought, so I'm glad about this, and I applaud the Agriculture Department for moving forward," said Petri.

The entire Wisconsin congressional delegation had sent a letter in mid-February to Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman in support of the designations.

The counties receiving primary disaster designation are:

Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oneida, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood.

Those named as contiguous disaster counties are:

Brown, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Price, Shawano, Sheboygan, and Taylor.

The text of the Wisconsin delegation letter follows:

Ms. Ann M. Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
US Dept. of Agric., Rm. 116A, Whitten Bldg.
14th and Independence, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Ms. Veneman,

We write to ask that you expedite the review of Wisconsin's request for federal disaster declarations for 59 counties that sustained significant crop losses in 2003 due to drought conditions.

2003 was a challenging year for Wisconsin's farmers. We appreciate your secretarial disaster designation in September 2003 for 49 Wisconsin counties where crops suffered from winter kill and deep frost early in 2003. Farmers in Wisconsin are grateful for the assistance that USDA has since provided. During the winter months, weather conditions were such that many farmers' alfalfa and forage stands were severely damaged or even killed. Livestock producers had hoped to recover with this year's crops when promising weather forecasts were made during the early summer months. However, the rains did not fall as needed, and drought conditions pervaded the state.

During the summer and fall of 2003, we saw the conditions in Wisconsin first-hand and spoke with many constituents regarding the drought situation. As we each traveled across the state, the damage that had been inflicted on the corn and soybean fields as well as the hay crop was clearly visible. Other crops negatively affected included oats, hay, pasture, barley, wheat, green peas, snap beans, sweet corn, and tobacco. As the season progressed, the quality of these crops steadily deteriorated as they were deprived of much-needed rains. Constituents told us about their struggles to continue farming though the disastrous weather of the past year, and they worried that poor crops might force them to leave their livelihoods behind.

We are very concerned about the loss of Wisconsin farms that has occurred and ask your assistance to help keep Wisconsin farms in business. In response to these severe weather conditions, the governor requested federal disaster declarations on January 15, 2004, for 59 Wisconsin counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oneida, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, St. Croix, Sauk, Sawyer, Trempleau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood. We urge you to expedite the review and consideration of this request in order to provide much- needed federal assistance to farmers in need.

On behalf of farmers in Wisconsin who have suffered from drought conditions during 2003, we thank you for your attention to this important matter.