Agri-Pulse reports:
One of the biggest items on lawmakers’ to-do list before the end of the year is passing a disaster aid bill. The administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Zach Ducheneaux, tells Agri-Pulse that the department estimates agricultural losses from hurricanes and other disasters in 2023 and 2024 at $14 billion.
“That’s the support we need” from Congress, Ducheneaux said in an interview at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual meeting in Kansas City. He said the losses involved 64 natural disasters over the two-year period.
Keep in mind: The last time Congress passed a disaster aid package lawmakers funded only about one-third of the $10 billion in estimated losses.
Take note: Ducheneaux said USDA hasn’t been consulted by lawmakers yet on a possible package of assistance for farmers who’ve been hit by the downturn in commodity prices.
