For Immediate Release:
Thursday, January 19, 2006  

MUSKOGEE, OK - Congressman Dan Boren announced today that Farm Services Agency (FSA) has approved a waiver to provide federal aid to farmers and ranchers for certain losses suffered in recent wildfires.  The announcement came one day after Boren called upon the agency to provide an exemption to a technicality that made many Oklahoma farmers ineligible for the assistance.

 

“We’re very pleased about this decision. This aid will provide a valuable supplement to farmers and ranchers who are trying to salvage their livestock operations. 

 

I’ve heard from a number of constituents and local officials that this assistance is badly needed for farmers, not only in Eastern Oklahoma, but across the state,” Boren said. 

 

FSA had previously said that federal regulations made many Oklahoma farms ineligible for the Emergency Conservation Program since the fires did not occur naturally. 

 

In a letter on January 17 to John Johnson, Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Boren asked FSA to make an exception for Oklahoma farmers since there were natural conditions – drought and high winds – that caused the fires to proliferate.  “A cigarette butt doesn’t burn down 40,000 acres without some help from nature,” Boren said in a separate statement. 

 

The Emergency Conservation Program provides natural disaster assistance to farmers for certain immediate needs such as rebuilding fences and repairing water sources for livestock.  Farmers can apply for the assistance through their county FSA office and, if approved, will receive up to 75 percent cost-share assistance. 

 

“Estimates put the number of homes and businesses destroyed at 250, and that’s likely to go up as damage assessments continue. We need to make sure that farmers impacted by this disaster are not overlooked,” Boren said.

 

On January 10, Oklahoma received a major disaster declaration from President Bush, making 12 counties eligible for individual assistance though the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Last week, Boren asked acting FEMA Director David Paulison to add all affected counties to the list for aid.

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