U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to close the gap in coverage for Montana farmers and ranchers who were impacted by this year’s devastating drought.
“While livestock producers welcomed these improvements to ELAP assistance, we continue to hear from producers who have been severely affected by drought this year and have incurred costs related to transporting their livestock to feed sources instead of hauling feed to their livestock. Under current regulations, these producers are not eligible for ELAP transportation assistance. We respectfully request that FSA exercise its authority to further improve ELAP by providing payments to producers for a portion of the costs they have incurred from transporting their livestock to feed sources,” the letter states.
Read the full letter HERE.
Background:
On August 13, Daines secured a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities in northeast Montana recover from a severe windstorm that left many without power.
On July 27, Daines continued his push for drought relief calling on the USDA to provide additional drought relief and flexibilities for Montana agriculture producers located in counties that were not covered by drought designations or federal assistance programs.
On July 17, following a push by Daines, the USDA has announced it would open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land in Montana for emergency haying and grazing.
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Contact: Katherine McKeogh, Katie Schoettler