Plains Cotton Growers Inc. joined 33 other agricultural organizations in a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee requesting language in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending package that would extend the Emergency Relief Program to cover losses for the 2022 crop.
“Farm and ranch families from across the country continue to be harmed by extraordinary natural disasters, including a severe and chronic drought gripping much of the U.S.,” the letter states. “Hurricane Ian, damaging freezes in the southeastern U.S. earlier this year, and late planting due to flooding and other weather conditions, to name only a few hardships facing producers in 2022.”
The letter also mentions strengthening the farm safety net in the 2023 Farm Bill to reduce, if not eliminate, the need for ad hoc programs. “However, including an extension of ERP for 2022 losses would serve as a critical bridge to the next farm bill,” the letter added.