Hawley Urges Senate Colleagues to Include Aid for Missouri Farmers in Disaster Relief Package

Hawley Urges Senate Colleagues to Include Aid for Missouri Farmers in Disaster Relief Package

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, making the case for Missouri farmers to be compensated in a potential disaster aid package.

Senator Hawley's letter comes as Senate appropriators are mulling introducing a disaster assistance package to aid communities impacted by recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene that devastated crops throughout Southeast Missouri.

"[…] The outer bands of Hurricane Helene hit Southeast Missouri, halting soybean harvest operations and exposing crops to excessive moisture for up to 10 days. Prior to the heavy rainfall, Missouri farmers were facing drought conditions for the third year in a row," Senator Hawley explained.

Senator Hawley detailed the extent of quality loss to crops-ranging from "seed deterioration, sprouting in pods, cracks in pod walls, and mold"-that Missouri farmers have been left to contend with.

"To make sure that Missouri farmers are not left out of this important assistance, I write to urge you to include 'quality loss' as a covered loss in any supplemental disaster funding package," he wrote.

Read the full letter here or below.

December 12, 2024

The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Susan Collins
Vice Chair
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, D.C.

Dear Senate Appropriations Committee Leadership,

It has come to my attention that the Senate may consider a disaster assistance package for farmers whose crops were destroyed by natural disasters across the country. Soybean farmers in the southeast region of my state have experienced extensive crop damage caused by Hurricane Helene this growing season. To make sure that Missouri farmers are not left out of this important assistance, I write to urge you to include "quality loss" as a covered loss in any supplemental disaster funding package.

On September 27, 2024, the outer bands of Hurricane Helene hit Southeast Missouri, halting soybean harvest operations and exposing crops to excessive moisture for up to 10 days. Prior to the heavy rainfall, Missouri farmers were facing drought conditions for the third year in a row. Dry soybeans mixed with excessive rainfall caused serious quality issues like seed deterioration, sprouting in pods, cracks in pod walls, and mold. Now, farmers crops are being heavily penalized at grain elevator for this damage. To make matters worse, many of these farmers will not qualify for a crop insurance indemnity payment because quality loss without a yield loss is rarely covered by crop insurance.

I hope you will recognize the severity of this disaster in my state and include "quality loss" as a covered loss in a disaster assistance package.

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley
United States Senator

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