House Approves Agricultural Emergency Disaster Relief Funds

After months of suffering from loses in livestock from prolonged droughts and forest fires, the U.S. House approved a retroactive re authorization of expired disaster assistance programs for ranchers nationwide. In Wyoming 21 of the state’s 23 counties are under drought designation or are contiguous counties. U.S. Congressman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo) joined 222 colleagues passing H.R. 6233, the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012 . Lummis says  the bill provides disaster assistance for affected livestock ranchers, along with fish, honey bee and nursery tree growers for damaged incurred from October 2011 through fiscal year 2012. With this drought underway, Congress needs to focus on a long-term solution and reauthorize the Farm Bill.