Washington, D.C. - Wyoming sheep ranchers, sugar beet growers, other parts of the agricultural community and "ultimately all of us," will benefit from legislation passed by the U.S. Senate today, according to Wyoming's two Republican U.S. Senators Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi.
Thomas and Enzi said the more than $74 billion fiscal year 2001 Agricultural Appropriations Conference Report, passed 86-8 by the Senate today, will provide aid for farmers and ranchers affected by this year's drought, assistance for wool growers suffering from low market prices and make it easier for sugar beet growers to pay off their federal loans. The bill also includes language allowing livestock and other producers to more directly benefit from "anti-dumping" laws. President Clinton must sign the bill before it can take effect.
"Wyoming farmers and ranchers faced a particularly challenging year," Thomas said. "It was important that Congress provide additional resources to producers who have struggled with these unforseen circumstances. Folks needed our help."
Additionally, Thomas pointed to important funding for predator control efforts in Wyoming. Thomas secured $1 million for a Tri-State Predator Control Program between Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to help address livestock losses due to federally protected species.
"Natural disasters, inequities in farm policy and unfair competition from foreign governments sometimes make the ag business a tough business. Yet Wyoming farmers and ranchers continue to help provide this country with our most basic needs. We need to help ourselves by helping them in their times of need," Enzi said.
The ag bill includes $490 million for the Livestock Assistance Program for payments to producers in designated emergency counties. Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer has requested and the Wyoming Congressional delegation has written letters of support for the designation of all Wyoming counties as emergency counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of reviewing the request. Eligible livestock producers will be able to apply for financial assistance based on guidelines to be determined by the USDA.
Other emergency spending in the ag bill includes $80 million for the Emergency Conservation Program to repair damage on crop lands from fires and drought; "such sums as necessary" for the Commodity Credit Corporation to make emergency financial assistance available to farmers for quality, quantity or market losses on 2000 crops; $200 million for the Rural Community Advancement Program, which provides funds for rural utility loans, rural
water systems, business and industry loans and other uses; $35 million in technical assistance for the Conservation Reserve Program, which provides incentives for farmers to take highly erodible land out of production; and $10 million for producers eligible for livestock indemnity payments for disaster losses from drought or anthrax.
The legislation also provides for about $20 million in direct payments to wool producers for the 2000 marketing year. The payment rate would be 40 cents per pound of wool, which will help offset the current 75 cents per pound production cost. Wyoming woolgrowers have produced between 4.9 million and 5.5 million pounds of wool in the last two years. Growers in the state could be eligible to receive nearly $2 million. Wool prices are down from previous years.
Another provision in the ag appropriations bill would allow sugar beet producers to pay off their federal loans by forfeiting their crop to the government instead of requiring cash. This puts sugar beet growers on par with growers of other types of crops who already have this option.
One other part of the ag bill includes language that may help farmers or ranchers hurt by another country illegally dumping or flooding the U.S. market with a particular commodity. The bill prescribes a system be set up where affected industries can receive money from the fines paid by the countries that have violated trade law.
