Givens Testifies on Freeze, Drought Damage
News Date November 01, 2007
Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens testified at a House Agriculture Committee hearing last week on agriculture disaster conditions throughout the U.S. at the invitation of Representative Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.). "Tennessee's farmers, like others throughout the Southeast, are having a tough time keeping their operations running and have sustained a monetary and product loss that will be felt for some time to come," said Davis at the hearing.
"I appreciate Congressman Davis' leadership on the House Agriculture Committee in helping to bring focus to the issue of providing federal disaster assistance to Tennessee farmers," Givens said. "There's no doubt that this has been a devastating year for farmers, and all sectors of our industry have suffered unprecedented losses."
Projected losses to row crop and nursery stock conservatively range from $750- $850 million in Tennessee. These estimates do not include livestock producers.
Recently, Davis brought Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) to Tennessee so local officials and farmers could brief him on the needs of the State. Peterson agreed that time is of the essence to get disaster aid out to states like Tennessee. Davis, Givens, and others are seeking to expand disaster assistance to help cover the massive losses associated with the spring freeze and record-breaking drought. As it now stands, Tennessee farmers are not eligible for disaster assistance for damage caused after February 28, 2007. Efforts are under way to move the cutoff date to December 21, 2007.
For more information about the hearing, visit the House Agriculture Committee website at http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.html. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)