U.S. Reps. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) questioned Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday about USDA action that can be taken to aid farmers and ranchers impacted by recent wildfires.
Lucas and Marshall, both members of the House Agriculture Committee, voiced support for extending emergency grazing provisions for lands enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, where producers were impacted by wildfires in March.
Wildfires burned more than 1.5 million acres of land in western Oklahoma, western Kansas and the Texas panhandle in March, killing thousands of cattle and destroying hundreds of miles of fencing.
Farmers enrolled in the CRP program agree to set aside environmentally sensitive lands from agricultural production in exchange for a yearly rental payment. The Trump administration previously granted temporary emergency grazing on CRP lands while farmers and ranchers rebuild.
“I’ve lived all my life in Northwest Oklahoma, but I have never seen anything of the magnitude of these fires,” Lucas said. “The potential for the extension of USDA’s initial 90-day emergency authorization will have a tremendous impact on the farmers and ranchers in our region who are working to rebuild. I appreciate Secretary Perdue’s and the Trump administration’s responsiveness on this critical matter, as well as the secretary’s willingness to consider our request.”
Lucas, Marshall and U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) first requested the extension in a letter to Perdue earlier this month. The letter noted it takes significant time to regrow the forage and rebuild facilities needed to maintain, contain and care for livestock.
“Farmers and ranchers will soon have to make other arrangements for their livestock to comply with the July 3rd removal deadline,” the letter states. “We ask you to use your authority to avoid placing additional uncertainty on these farmers and ranchers by extending the original 90-day emergency grazing authorization.”
Marshall said on Tuesday that he was “heartened” by Perdue’s commitment to use all the flexibility at his disposal to help those impacted by wildfires and blizzards in Kansas recover.
“His eagerness to champion American products and to promote trade, and to make sure other countries are playing fairly, are going to be essential in bringing about the turnaround our agricultural economy requires,” Marshall said.