Letter to The Honorable Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture

Letter

December 2, 2009

RURAL DEVELOPMENT.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND TRADE

The Honorable Tom Vilsack Secretary,
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20250-1300

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

I am writing to express my full support for Governor Bob Riley's request for disaster designation for all counties within the State of Alabama, and particularly the counties of Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Pike. For the last two months, Alabama fanners have experienced extreme crop loss due to extreme amounts of rain and flooding. The extraordinarily wet conditions have generated over 50 percent loss for some of Alabama's most important crops and disaster relief will serve to mitigate some of the damage Alabama farmers have sustained over the past two months.

I urge you to immediately approve and issue a request to Mr. Daniel Robinson, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency in Alabama, to move forward with a fonnal damage assessment report in order to determine the extent of crop loss in Alabama. I am confident that such an assessment will establish that a disaster designation is not only appropriate, but critical to the survival of Alabama's farming community and I implore you to act quickly to ensure that this disaster designation can be made by the end of the year 2009. Ijoin farmers throughout the State of Alabama in thanking you in advance for your prompt consideration of the Governor's request.

Sincerely,

cc: Daniel Robinson
Alabama USDA Farm Service Agency

Lilia McFarland
USDA Office of Congressional Relations

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