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Contained in Supplemental Appropriations Bill New Farm Loan Program Funds
The bill contains critical additional amounts for FSA farm lending programs that will provide needed assistance to refinance real estate loans and provide additional guaranteed operating loans. This appropriation provides program loan levels (amounts available for loans) as follows: Direct farm operating - $400 millionEmergency disaster loan level in the bill is $547 million; EM loan money was essentially exhausted when the fiscal year 2000 ag appropriations bill was enacted. As a reference point, FSA credit personnel estimated these loan program funds would have been exhausted as follows: Direct farm operating - February 15th Additional Disaster Assistance
These funds are available to persons suffering agricultural losses as a result of hurricane damages. Crop loss assistance similar to that provided in the FY 2000 ag appropriations bill in the amount of $186 million. Crop loss assistance to producers who have suffered losses, including quality losses, caused by disastrous weather when those crops were placed in a warehouse and not sold in the amount of $2.8 million. These losses are related to potato blight, discounts for spring and durum wheat that has lost baking quality, and grading losses for peanuts and fruits and vegetables. Livestock assistance to the same extend provided in the FY 2000 ag appropriations bill except that the Secretary may make income assistance available to contract livestock producers who suffered 1999 disasters in the amount of $10 million. Emergency Conservation Program fund administered by the FSA to repair damaged farm and ranch lands is replenished in the amount of $50 million. Emergency Watershed Program fund administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to repair damages to waterways and watersheds is replenished in the amount of $80 million. Various rural housing programs receive additional funds in the amount of $90 million. The Noninsured Assistance Program (NAP) may be administered without
an area loss trigger in the amount of $20 million.
Other Provisions
The bill also provides other extraneous items, many of them of a technical nature. Two provisions authorize the continuation of certain crop insurance policies that have been offered as pilot projects in addition to making available certain citrus fruit, avocado and macadamia nut insurance policies available to producers. The Secretary may use AMTA program funds not otherwise expended to implement mandatory livestock reporting, to provide cottonseed assistance to producers and first-handlers, and to make Step 2 payments for ELS cotton. The Secretary, in cooperation with the State of Florida, may remove and/or replace citrus trees, both commercial and noncommercial, to control citrus canker until crop insurance is available for such purposes in the amount of $16 million. |