Floyd farmer Allen Deen said he hasn’t been able to plant dryland crops because of the lack of moisture. “We got some pretty good moisture, but the winds and the heat have taken it all back out,” Deen said. With the low humidity, he said, evaporation takes 3/4 inch to an inch of moisture out of the soil every day. In addition, Deen said he cuts alfalfa for people who have seen such a drop in their water table that they can’t keep the fields wet, even with sprinklers, due to the hot, dry wind. Alfalfa yields are a quarter of what they were last year, he said. The low supply leads to high feed prices for dairies. Deen said he isn’t interested in the low-interest loans area producers are eligible for because of the recent Primary Disaster Area declaration. “You can’t borrow yourself out of debt,” he said. Massey said most farmers already work with a lending institution and don’t want the loans. The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program helps a little, but it runs two years behind and requires a lot of paperwork and records, Massey said...more
Someone better tell these guys: Bingaman & Udall Applaud USDA for Approving Disaster Assistance
No comments:
Post a Comment