U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 25, 2013) — U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill will sponsor bipartisan legislation that provides disaster assistance for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers after this summer’s historic drought — the most recent of her efforts to pass this much-needed assistance.

This legislation, supported by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and fellow Missourian Roy Blunt, extends several agriculture disaster assistance programs that were not part of the recent Farm Bill extension. It would extend the programs through 2013 while Congress works to pass a long-term Farm Bill. Without an extension, ranchers and farmers would be left with no support in the aftermath of this summer’s historic drought. The legislation extends the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, The Livestock Forage Disaster Program, and the Livestock Indemnity Program.

“Missouri’s farmers and ranchers have endured the most catastrophic drought in generations and need these programs to be reauthorized,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla. “This is much needed relief, but it’s also critical that we pass a Farm Bill — to give our farms and ranchers the certainty they need to plan for the future.”

Last year, McCaskill helped pass (click this link) a bipartisan Farm Bill in the Senate to reauthorize essential livestock disaster assistance programs, support agriculture jobs, strengthen resources for family farms and ranches, and reduce the national deficit by more than $23 billion. The Farm Bill — approved with a strong bipartisan vote of 64-35 — also provided crucial resources that would allow Missouri’s crop producers to manage risk and create new programs that help Missouri’s dairy farmers cope with high costs. It never received a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Click here to follow the Pulaski County Daily News on Twitter
Click here to follow the Pulaski County Daily News on Facebook