Odom: All Talk, No Action from USDA
January 26, 2007
More promises, still no action.
That’s how Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry
Commissioner Bob Odom described the lip service
given to media and
agriculture leaders on a conference call today
hosted by USDA.
“They made a big announcement about money that was
approved several months ago and they still can’t
tell us when
it’s coming. ‘Some bit of time’ is the best answer
we got. They’re telling farmers to sign up for other
emergency
conservation programs and they’ve yet to distribute
those funds. Then, they dodged a question about how
the money
will be split among the seven states named. It’s a
bureaucratic mess of the worst kind,” Odom
criticized.
“The USDA has had five months to come up with the
programs, publish them in the Federal Register and
develop
software to distribute the funds locally. Once again
they’re promising assistance but we won’t see a dime
for ‘some
time.’ That’s ridiculous. Farmers in Louisiana plant
early. Banks won’t lend them money until they know
if there’s
some type assistance money to pay off this year’s
debts from those crops and animals destroyed by the
hurricanes.
What they’re promising won’t make it in time.”
U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon agreed with Odom’s
comments about the USDA’s slow course of action.
“It's not that USDA doesn't know how to do a section
32 program. Ten weeks after Hurricane Charley hit
Florida,
USDA was cutting the first of over $400 million in
checks to Florida farmers. But here we are, nearly
five months
after Katrina and four months after Rita, and we
still don't know how USDA intends to carve up only
$250 million
between seven states. That's pathetic and Louisiana
farmers and producers deserve better,” Melancon
said.
The USDA announced a total of $2.8 billion in
assistance for seven states, Alabama, Florida,
Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas,
but only $250 million will actually go to farmers
and ranchers
who lost crops and livestock due to hurricanes.
Again, there are no details as to how the money will
be split among
the states, but the $250 million will be divided
into four programs: tree indemnity, hurricane
indemnity, livestock
and feed. There are also funds for aquaculture block
grants and emergency conservation programs. No
details were
given.
“The hurricane indemnity probably won’t help a lot
of our producers who were affected by flooded
fields. It’s tied
to crop insurance and they won’t cover flooded
fields. We’re not sure about anything because they
wouldn’t give any
specifics or details about the programs,” Odom said.
“They think we’ll quiet down because this big
announcement was
made, but we’re not going away. There are issues
that need to be addressed and farmers who need help.
We’re not
going anywhere until farmers get checks. I plan to
continue working with our Congressional delegation
until
something is done.
“We need farmers and ranchers; they are the back
bone of rural communities. Their abundant supply of
safe and
affordable food and fiber is what will bring people
back home. This country and this state cannot
survive
economically or culturally without agriculture. My
greatest concern is that the federal government has
forgotten
this.” |
