U.S. Senator Susan Collins today sent a letter to the acting Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging him to support a request for additional assistance for Northern Maine farmers who are struggling to repair crop damage following recent severe storms.
At Senator Collins' request, FSA agreed last week to provide $400,000 through its Emergency Conservation Program to approximately 50 Northern Maine farmers who suffered damage. Senator Collins, an Aroostook County native, visited Caribou last weekend and saw first-hand how heavy rain and severe weather has caused top soil in many fields to be completely washed away, which dramatically reduces the productive yield of acreage and can potentially reduce the value of that farm land.
In her most recent letter to FSA, Senator Collins explains that USDA Farm Service Agency officials in Maine have filed requests for $2 million in ECP funding for more than 70 affected farmers.
The full text of Senator Collins' letter is as follows:
Bruce Nelson
Acting Administrator
Farm Service Agency
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC, 20250
Dear Administrator Nelson:
I am writing in support of the request for additional Emergency Conservation Program funding for Aroostook County farmers who have sustained serious erosion in their fields on multiple occasions already this season. Due to severe rain storms and recurring flooding, USDA-Farm Service Agency officials in Maine have filed requests for $2,000,000 in ECP funding for over 70 affected farmers.
The severe rain storms that Aroostook County has experienced have resulted significant flooding which, in turn, has resulted in the loss of crops and the loss of top soil. In fact, some fields have had the majority of the top soil washed away. As you know, the loss of top soil can be much more serious than a crop loss. The loss of rich top soil can dramatically reduce the productive yield of acreage and will reduce the value of this farm land. The lost topsoil must be replaced. That Aroostook County has been battered by these damaging storms repeatedly over the past month underscores the importance and urgency of this disaster relief.
The potato industry is the backbone of the Northern Maine economy, supporting thousands of jobs and many more during the harvest season. By providing Emergency Conservation Program funds to help farmers repair the damage to their fields, the funding could mitigate the impact of these severe storms and stimulate the local economy by helping farmers hire workers to operate equipment and purchase fuel through local distributors.
Given the effects of the recent storms, the damage caused, and the importance of this industry to the local and state economy, I ask that you review the additional request for ECP funding for these farmers as soon as possible. Please give this request every consideration, subject to all applicable laws and regulations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
###