Jeff Send, a cherry grower from Leelanau, MI, today testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee at the invitation of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Today's hearing examined the consequences of last's year's spring freezes and historic drought. Send, who currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Cherry Marketing Institute Board of Directors, has been a cherry farmer his entire life and manages 800 acres of sweet and tart cherries with his wife, Nita. Send provided testimony on the devastating impact that last year's warm winter and spring freezes had on the fruit industry in Michigan and emphasized the need for disaster relief, as well as a five-year Farm Bill that provides farmers with strong risk management tools to survive future weather disasters.

"We cannot allow Michigan families to be wiped out because of a few days of bad weather," said Stabenow. "Last year's unseasonably warm winter, spring freezes, and droughts have made this a very difficult time for Michigan farmers like Jeff Send, who rely on better risk management tools to stay in business. It's absolutely critical that Congress complete its work on a five-year Farm Bill and pass disaster relief to protect our farmers from future weather disasters."

An unseasonably warm winter followed by a series of freezes and devastating droughts in 2012 decimated orchards, fields, vineyards and livestock herds across the state. Michigan farmers lost 97% of their cherries, 88% of apples, 86% of peaches, and 60% of grapes. During last summer's drought each of Michigan's 83 counties were declared a disaster area.

In January, Stabenow introduced legislation that provides disaster relief to growers who lost orchard trees and vines as well as those growers who did not have access to crop insurance (which includes many Michigan fruit growers). The bill also includes support for ranchers impacted by severe drought.

Last year, the Senate overwhelmingly passed Chairwoman Stabenow's Farm Bill, which contained this disaster relief, boosts the agriculture economy and reforms agriculture programs to cut spending. While the Senate passed the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support, House leaders refused to bring the bill up for a vote. With the new Congress convening in January, all bills not fully enacted in the last Congress must start the legislative process over. Chairwoman Stabenow has pledged to pass a Farm Bill in the Senate again this Congress, and continues to fight for disaster relief for Michigan farming families.

Chairwoman Stabenow also led the effort in 2012 to secure new crop insurance options for Michigan cherry growers, many of whom did not have access to federal crop insurance when they faced last spring's freezes and frosts. Stabenow expanded crop insurance, which was only previously available for sweet cherries in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties, for sweet cherry growers in Antrim, Benzie, Manistee, Mason and Oceana counties. She is also working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin the process to develop crop insurance options for tart cherries, which are currently not available.