Governor Tim Pawlenty today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns requesting a federal agricultural disaster be declared for 36 Minnesota counties, which would allow drought-impacted farmers and ranchers to receive low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Drought conditions have affected the northern two-thirds of Minnesota since early May. Last month was the hottest July in 70 years and the drought has resulted in reduced crop yields in nearly half of all Minnesota counties.
In addition to the request for a federal agricultural disaster declaration, Governor Pawlenty today directed the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to secure interest rate reductions on certain loans, asked the Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) to approve grants for livestock watering equipment, and announced that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will allow farmers with ground-water irrigation permits to increase the amount of water they can put on their crops.
“I saw firsthand the devastating effects of this drought when I visited farmers in the Red River Valley last month,” Governor Pawlenty said. “The extremely dry conditions are taking a toll on crops and Minnesota’s farm families. We continue to work closely with farmers and federal agencies to provide whatever help we can.”
Agricultural Disaster Declaration Request
The Governor today requested that 36 Minnesota counties be declared agriculture disaster areas due to persistent drought conditions.
“The drought developed quickly and was exacerbated by the hottest July temperatures in 70 years,” Governor Pawlenty said in his letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. “This widespread drought has already resulted in reduced crop, hay and pasture yields in nearly half of all Minnesota counties. Corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, alfalfa, and hay crops have been hit especially hard by the extremely dry conditions.”
The 36 counties are Aitkin, Anoka, Beltrami, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Chisago, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena and Wright.
Counties were asked to submit disaster assessment reports to the Farm Service Agency last week. The USDA State Emergency Board met yesterday and made the disaster assistance recommendation to the Governor.
A declaration would allow affected farmers to receive the assistance of the United States Department of Agriculture, specifically the low-interest Emergency Loan Program administered by the Farm Service Agency. Emergency loan funds may be used to restore or replace essential property, pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the farming operation and refinance certain debts.
Grants for Livestock Watering Facility Upgrades - Board of Water & Soil Resources
Governor Pawlenty, based on advice from the state Drought Task Force, today asked the Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) to adopt a resolution allowing livestock producers in drought stricken areas of the state to apply for grants that can be used for livestock water facilities.
Once approved by BWSR and the State Executive Council, the BWSR State Cost-Share Program will make $500,000 available to livestock producers through matching grants. Providing assistance to farmers would be consistent with the program’s purposes.
A qualifying producer would be eligible for a 50% cost share grant up to a maximum of $5,000. Uses for the grants include well drilling, pipelines, watering facilities, portable pumps, fencing, watering pond restorations, and fabricated shelterbelts.
BWSR will consider the proposal at a special board meeting tomorrow morning. Suspension of the rules must be approved by the State Executive Council, which will convene an emergency meeting on Wednesday, August 9 at 3:00pm in Room 123 of the Capitol.
Farm Loan Interest Rate reduction – Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Governor Pawlenty has also requested the Rural Finance Authority (RFA) board reduce the interest rate to zero percent on the Livestock Equipment Loan Program for the purchase of watering systems such as well drilling, pipelines, watering facilities, and portable pumps.
The RFA works with local lenders to share a 45% participation in loans offered by the local lender. A borrower would get a zero percent loan on the RFA portion of the loan, though the local lender could continue to charge interest on their portion of the loan.
Increased Irrigation to Be Allowed – Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Farmers with DNR ground-water irrigation permits may now increase the amount pumped from ground-water sources for the remainder of the 2006 growing season due to higher demands caused by drought conditions. This is similar to actions taken by the DNR during the droughts in 1976 and 1988.
Permits to pump from ground-water sources also include authorization to remove water from gravel pits, dug ponds, and other human-made pools supplied by ground water.
Approximately 3,600 farmers have DNR permits to irrigate from ground-water sources. An additional 600 farmers have DNR permits to irrigate from streams or lakes.
Governor Pawlenty recently announced the formation of an agricultural drought advisory committee to closely monitor the impacts of the drought. The committee will also identify needs and develop recommendations for additional state and federal assistance that may be available to the affected areas in the state.
According to the DNR, Minnesota’s last serious drought occurred in 1987-89. The warm, dry winter of 1986-87 marked the beginning of this drought period and conditions became very serious in June 1988 when Mississippi River flow levels threatened to drop below the Minneapolis Water Works intake pipes at Fridley.
The state also suffered through an unusually dry period in 1999-2000, particularly in southwestern Minnesota where precipitation totals in some communities were eight inches below normal for the period from June 1999 to March 2000. By late May 2000, dryness concerns had shifted from the southwest to parts of east central Minnesota, but no region was classified in a drought category at that time.
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