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(Grand Island, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced the framework for a livestock drought assistance program that will provide $3.6 million to producers in 39 Nebraska counties. The funding is part of a national drought assistance package provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Governor made his announcement during Husker Harvest Days.
Gov. Heineman expressed his thanks to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns for approving temporary relief, and renewed his call for Congress to act quickly and provide more significant and comprehensive drought assistance for American farmers and ranchers, suggesting the model co-sponsored by both of Nebraska’s U.S. senators and Sen. Kent Conrad of N.D.
“While August precipitation was certainly welcome, we need to remember that not all areas benefited from the rain,” Gov. Heineman said. “The fact is that for many producers, the moisture came far too late, and the result was that many livestock owners sold off their herds. Seven years of drought cannot be repaired with one good month – or even one good year – of rain, and that is why we need Congress to act. It is my hope that our Congressional delegation can lead the way to securing additional drought aid for those who need it most.”
The $3.6 million in recently released USDA livestock drought assistance funding was provided to Nebraska as part of a block grant. The Governor instructed the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) to develop and administer a plan for dispersing the funding.
USDA provided Nebraska and other states with basic guidelines for county eligibility and awarding aid. Eligible counties had to have been classified in at least the extreme drought or D3 category, based on U.S. Drought Monitor maps from March 7 to Aug. 31 of this year.
In Nebraska, 39 counties met the federal guidelines for the temporary USDA-funded aid, including: Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dundy, Frontier, Garden, Gosper, Grant, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux and Thomas.
The federal funding will be allocated to producers of cattle raised for beef production and sheep in qualified counties and will cover foundation herds, which includes adult females and males, in addition to replacement females.
Details on the distribution of the federal funding are still being finalized. Under the framework currently in development, producers will need to complete a self-certification application detailing the number of eligible livestock they owned as of March 7. Applications will require producers to certify both the number of livestock owned and the amount of livestock-related expenses incurred as a result of the 2006 drought.
NDA will begin taking applications for drought assistance on Monday, Sept. 25, with all applications due by Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Application forms are still being developed and will be available in the coming days on the Drought Central Web site at http://www.droughtcentral.org, under “2006 USDA Drought Assistance Package.” Forms will also be available next week at extension and Farm Service Agency offices throughout the state. Those with additional questions can contact the NDA toll-free at (800) 422-6692.
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