WASHINGTON – This week, Senator Eric Schmitt signed onto a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture with members of the Missouri GOP delegation regarding the ongoing drought conditions in Missouri and impending forage and feed crises facing farm families:
“I am proud to join this letter with members of the Missouri delegation to urge Secretary Vilsack to take action and help our state’s livestock producers. As farmers and ranchers across the state of Missouri are facing increasingly harsh drought conditions, it is vital that the USDA open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for emergency haying immediately. In a time when farming and raising livestock is already hard enough, with high interest rates and inflation driving up input costs, this support from the USDA would ease burdens on Missouri’s farmers and ranchers,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.
Background:
- Over 80 percent of Missouri is currently experiencing drought conditions, with more than half of the state experiencing severe drought and 20 percent suffering extreme drought conditions.
- As a result, available forage in pastures and hay crop yields are far below typical for Missouri.
- The letter urges the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore all available options to immediately open the Department’s CRP lands in Missouri to emergency haying to provide sufficient forage for livestock.