Baker, Harney, Malheur, Union, Wallowa counties are 'primary' disaster areas; Walden continues to lead efforts to ensure ranchers and farmers can qualify for additional federal disaster assistance programs

October 3, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Following weeks of urging from Congressman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the USDA today confirmed it will make secretarial disaster declarations for Baker, Harney, Malheur, Union, and Wallowa Counties, where a combination of natural disaster conditions have adversely impacted farmers, ranchers, and rural economies. The primary disaster declarations for these counties and the contiguous disaster declarations for Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Lake and Umatilla counties ensure that the counties are eligible to receive federal assistance.
 
“Damaging frost, drought, and catastrophic wildfire pummeled eastern Oregon again this year, placing ranchers and farmers in a very vulnerable economic position,” Walden said. “Disaster declarations for these counties are an important piece of getting the federal assistance to those who need it most. But there is still much work to be done for eastern Oregon.”
 
Baker County: The U.S. Drought Monitor identified the conditions in Baker County as ranging from abnormally dry to moderate and sever drought. It has been the driest year on record since 1944.
 
Harney County: The U.S. Drought Monitor identified the conditions in Harney County as ranging from moderate to severe drought, which increased wildfire intensity.
 
Malheur County: The U.S. Drought Monitor identified the conditions in Malheur County as severe drought. Losses in rangeland grass are estimated at 50 percent, and pasture losses at 80 percent.
 
Union County: Severe frost events in April and May, led to losses in sweet cherries, grain, alfalfa, and seed crops. Ongoing drought conditions that began in the fall of 2006 have led to losses in pasture and rangeland as well as damage to dryland crops.
 
Wallowa County: The U.S. Drought Monitor identified the conditions in Wallowa County as ranging from moderate to sever drought. Stream flow conditions range from below normal to much below normal.
 
Walden is also spearheading a congressional effort to extend the cut-off date for livestock and crop disaster assistance programs established in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act to December 31, 2007. The current cut-off date is February 28, 2007, which leaves agriculture producers who experienced economic losses after that date without an adequate safety net. With Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia), Walden has enlisted a bipartisan group of more than 40 colleagues from across the country to appeal to the Appropriations Committee to extend the deadline to the end of the year.
 
Walden, through meetings with the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, and high-ranking USDA officials, is leading the effort to ensure Oregon ranchers and farmers can qualify for additional federal disaster assistance programs:
In an August 16 letter to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Walden pressed the USDA to release and make available as soon as possible excess funding in the Emergency Conservation Program for those impacted in eastern Oregon by drought and wildfire. ECP funds can be used by ranchers and farmers to rehabilitate lands damaged by wildfire and offset cost of hauling livestock water. Further, Walden also requested that the Secretary authorize emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage throughout eastern Oregon, something that was done in 2003 to ensure additional livestock feed.
During a Sept. 6 meeting he organized in his office with high-ranking USDA and Farm Service Agency (FSA) officials, Walden urged the USDA to expedite the disaster declaration requests made by the state for Baker, Harney, Union, Klamath, Malheur, and Wallowa counties.
On Sept. 7, the USDA announced it would make available $120,000 from the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to ranchers affected by drought and wildfire in Baker County and Wallowa County. Walden, who asked for that assistance in his August 16 letter, welcomed the funding but said much more aid is needed.
On Sept. 13 and on the heels of Walden’s appeals, the USDA agreed to authorize emergency use of CRP land for livestock producers who lost pastures, BLM grazing land, or fences due to wildfire this summer in Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, and Union Counties. Walden said he would continue to press for further assistance for those affected by drought.
Congressman Greg Walden represents the Oregon’s Second Congressional District, which is comprised of 20 counties in eastern, southern, and central Oregon. He is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and a member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.