The drought is taking a tremendous toll on Arkansas agriculture producers. As KARK reported it will take several years for the agriculture industry to rebound from this record breaking drought which economists predict could have a billion dollar impact on our state’s economy.  

Today Governor Beebe announced he would make available $2 million to help Arkansas ranchers. The bottom line is that Congress also needs to step up to assist our agriculture producers during this difficult time. That begins with passing a five-year Farm Bill that offers protections to agriculture producers against potential disasters like the drought we’re currently facing. In the meantime, we need to provide immediate drought relief to our farmers and ranchers. The House passed an extension of the livestock disaster provisions prior to leaving for August recess so that our livestock producers would know help is on the way. Unfortunately, instead of bringing this non-controversial bill up for a vote in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid opted to use this opportunity to try and force the House to act on a five-year extension of the Farm Bill. 

I contributed to the CNBC blog, explaining how the federal government can help this important industry.