Rep. Salazar Declares Win For Farmers And Ranchers Who Will Receive Disaster Relief Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. John Salazar (CO-3) made the following statement today after $3 billion in disaster relief funding was included in a supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 2206, which passed the House floor.

“Colorado’s farmers and ranchers are grateful that their voices have been heard.  This funding will go a long way to supporting our small farms in southeastern Colorado that were devastated during the back-to-back blizzards that hit Colorado last winter.  The blizzards followed several summers of droughts that had already placed an economic hardship on these hardworking people.   

“Today, the U.S. House of Representatives prevailed in providing needed relief to our farmers and ranchers whose livelihood was threatened.  As one out of only four farmers in Congress, I am proud that we were successful in providing necessary support to the people who put food on our tables.”

The agriculture disaster assistance package includes assistance for farmers who lost 35 percent or more of their crop in 2005, 2006 or 2007 and for livestock producers in counties that experienced USDA designated natural disasters during that time.  

Producers can apply for a disaster payment for only one of those three years, and for the first time, only farmers who had insured their crop through crop insurance or the Non-Insured Assistance Program are eligible for payments.