Drought spurs organization to appeal to federal lawmakers
The drought that has gripped much of the U.S. over the past several months is showing no signs of abatement. Indeed, the drought may be getting worse as many states become official disaster areas due to the extremely dry conditions. The drought has already taken its toll on farmers, but is likely to continue causing problems well into the future. This possibility has led the American Soybean Association (ASA) to petition federal legislators to pass the so called 2012 Farm Bill that lawmakers have been deliberating on for some time.
2012 Farm Bill may help address several agricultural issues
The 2012 Farm Bill aims to address a number of agricultural issues throughout the country by giving farmers access to more comprehensive insurance coverage and financial benefits. Though the legislation is not particularly controversial, it has managed to cause some division amongst politicians, which has led to several delays in the legislative process. This week, a decision on the 2012 Farm Bill was again delayed, despite concerns raised by the Agriculture Department.
Agriculture Department highlights the problems caused by widespread drought
According to the Agriculture Department, approximately 55% of the nation’s pasture and range land is now considered to be in poor or very poor condition. The agency has declared a total of 1,369 counties across 31 states as drought disaster areas so far this year. More disaster declarations are expected to come, but the agency believes that the 2012 Farm Bill may be able to mitigate the problems caused by the widespread drought and help farmers recover from a financially problematic year.
ASA hopes that 2012 Farm Bill will bring some relief to farmers
The ASA is petitioning federal legislators to pass the 2012 Farm Bill sooner rather than later. According to the organization, approximately 85% of the country’s soybean acres are currently covered by crop insurance, but this is not to be mistaken for financial support for those losing their crops. The ASA believes that the 2012 Farm Bill will provide farmers with the financial support they need to recover from the drought disaster.
