Emergency Forage Exchange to Assist Flood-Affected Farmers in New York
Program will coordinate forage resources across the state to provide needed feed and forage to flood-affected farmers in New York State
Program includes website of locally available forage resources and the NYFB Foundation’s Feed and Forage Transportation Fund
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Cornell Cooperative Extension
and the New York Farm Bureau Foundation for Agricultural Education,
Inc. in launching an Emergency Forage Exchange and a Feed and
Forage Transportation Fund to provide feed and cash assistance
for farmers in New York State who have been severely impacted
by the recent flooding.
As part of the Emergency Forage Exchange, Senator Clinton's office
worked in coordination with Cornell Cooperative Extension and
the New York Farm Bureau Foundation for Agricultural Education,
Inc. (the “Foundation”) to establish an Emergency
Response Forage Exchange, which includes an online database
of forage resources available to farmers in New York State areas
affected by the recent flooding. The Cornell Emergency Forage
website will be maintained and updated by Cornell Cooperative
Extension personnel and will help match regional forage availability
with forage needs. It is not intended for merchandising and it
is not intended for direct producer access or input. The website
will be active through December 2006 at which point continuation
will be reconsidered based on need.
Farmers who wish
to donate or sell forage and farmers who are in need of forage
in Wyoming County should contact Lutie
Batt at (585) 786-2251 or e-mail her at lcb37@cornell.edu.
In addition to promoting the website, the Foundation has also
created the Feed and Forage Transportation Fund to collect tax-deductible
donations to assist farmers who have lost feed and forage necessary
to feed their livestock. Fund monies will be used to assist in
underwriting the transportation costs of replacement feed and
forage for eligible farmers. Farmers in need of assistance and
those wishing to contribute to the fund should call the Foundation
Office at (800) 342-4143. Applications for assistance will be
available on the Foundation
website, the New
York Farm Bureau website, or can be obtained from the Foundation
Office. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2006.
"In emergency situations such as the flooding that occurred
in June, the Cornell Cooperative Extension system provides an
important link that enables us to deliver resources of the land-grant
university to the people of New York. We are pleased to be working
in collaboration with Senator Clinton's office and the New York
Farm Bureau Foundation for Agricultural Education in this Emergency
Response Forage Exchange effort," said Dr. Helene R. Dillard,
Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Judi Whittaker, Chair of the Foundation Board said, “As our
farm is located in the flood region, I have seen the damage and
devastation of the floods firsthand from day one. The cooperative
efforts to provide help to those farmers who lost crops that would
feed their herds are heartening to me. I applaud those who have
provided donations thus far, and encourage others to provide what
help they can to the Feed and Forage Transportation Fund.”
“We are in a dire situation, with many of our farmers in
the flood region losing a significant portion of their hay and
corn for the year,” said John Lincoln, president of New York
Farm Bureau, board member of the Foundation, and a dairy farmer
from Bloomfield, N.Y. “We are grateful to Senator Clinton
and Cornell Cooperative Extension for recognizing the critical
circumstances our farmers are facing. With the high costs of transportation,
we expect that our Foundation’s Feed and Forage Transportation
Fund will be utilized to help offset the costs of trucking feed
to the farmers who are most in need.”
"Many farmers have suffered devastating losses from the recent
flooding and this program will help them obtain critical resources
to make it through the rest of this growing season. We need to
continue to work together to help those that have suffered to
get back on their feet. In New York State we are so fortunate
to have such a strong agricultural community, the leadership of
Cornell and the Farm Bureau, and the incredible willingness of
farmers to help other farmers in this time of need," Senator
Clinton said.
Farms in Central and Eastern New York are continuing to experience
the negative effects of a devastating growing season. In some
areas, excessive spring rains delayed or prevented planting. Record
setting heavy rains at the end of June and the severe flooding
that followed resulted in severe crop losses, farmland damage
and property damage to farmers in Central New York, the Mohawk
Valley, the Western Catskills and the Southern Tier. Most recent
estimates from the Farm Service Agency include severe crop losses
in 20 counties on more than 290,000 acres at a value of over $40.2
million dollars.
While all crop producers have suffered devastating losses, livestock
and dairy farmers were especially hard hit, as corn and hay, which
are critical for providing animal feed, accounted for over 90
percent of crop losses. Many farms have lost not only their planted
crops, but stored and standing crops used for current feed supply
as well. There is little doubt that many producers will face a
major shortage of forages to feed their herds over the coming
months. These farms face seemingly insurmountable challenges unless
there is response and support from others.
Farmers in the counties that have received disaster declarations
by the Secretary of Agriculture - Broome, Chenango, Cortland,
Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery,
Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan,
Tioga, Tompkins, and Ulster - will be eligible to receive forage
and/or cash assistance. Farmers from any county can donate or
offer to provide forage resources or cash donations through this
program. Both donating and recipient farmers should contact their
local Cornell Cooperative Extension Office or the Foundation for
more information about the program.
Again, Wyoming County
residents should contact Lutie
Batt, Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture Program Educator,
at (585) 786-2251 or e-mail her at lcb37@cornell.edu.
In addition to helping establish the Emergency Forage Exchange,
last month Senator Clinton called on the USDA to provide for disaster
assistance for flood affected farmers. Senator Clinton urged USDA
to make adequate funding available for existing programs that
are critical for helping farmers and communities recover from
disaster events, such as the Emergency Watershed Protection Program,
the Emergency Conservation Program and the Crop Disaster Program.
She also called for consideration of a crop indemnity program
similar to the one provided for farmers who suffered losses during
Hurricane Katrina.
Source: New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton News Release, 8/11/06
Click Here to View Current Emergency Forage Exchange Listings