Spokane7
53°
October 28, 2010 in Idaho
Glitch at Otter’s office leaves farmers lacking aid
LEWISTON — Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and the state’s congressional delegation have contacted federal authorities to try to get some $10 million in disaster relief money for northern Idaho farmers possibly lost after Otter’s office failed to meet a paperwork deadline.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that hundreds of farmers in Lewis, Nez Perce, Idaho and Clearwater counties whose wheat crops were damaged in a 2009 storm could be affected.
“I acknowledge my office made a significant error in not sending the governor’s disaster declaration letter within the 90-day time frame outlined in the Farm Bill,” Otter wrote in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “This was our mistake, not Lewis County’s, so I’m asking you not to penalize farmers in that area for circumstances beyond their control.”
If a disaster is declared in one county, any contiguous county automatically qualifies.
Otter spokesman Jon Hanian said a misplaced fax led to the missed 90-day deadline on Nov. 23 to get the paperwork to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In November, the governor’s office was relocating from temporary offices in the Borah Building to the newly renovated Statehouse.
Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and Democrat U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick said they hope to submit legislation so Idaho farmers will get the money. However, support from other lawmakers could be scarce, the newspaper reported, because only one or two other congressional districts in the country missed disaster deadlines.
“We took a major, major hit,” said Lewis County Commissioner Don Davis. “We just found out it may have cost something in the neighborhood of $5 million in Lewis County alone. Farmers in this area are unhappy. They’ve had some mediocre years — that’s the nature of the beast up here on the prairie — and that’s why these farm programs are in place.”
In 2009, heavy rain hit in the middle of the wheat harvest, causing county commissioners to approve a disaster emergency declaration.
“This isn’t just a Lewis County issue,” said Travis Jones, executive director of the Idaho Grain Producers Association. “Nez Perce County, Clearwater County and Idaho County would also have qualified. When you add them in, that ups the expected loss (from the missed deadline) to the $5 million to $10 million range. But that’s hard to verify.”
Karel Wemhoff, Lewis County executive director for the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, said a similar storm in 2008 led to about 240 producers qualifying for $5.1 million in relief payments. That doesn’t include producers in surrounding counties, she noted.
Information from the Lewiston Tribune.
© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sandpoint Arbor Day is Saturday 
maria on October 28 at 11:43 a.m.
Vote Otter OUT!!! This is a travesty…an outrage!
maria on October 28 at 11:48 a.m.
Any profits these farmers could have reaped from this year’s bumper crop are now down the toilet, thanks to Otter and his inept staff. My God, I can hardly believe he let this happen on his watch. VOTE OTTER OUT OF OFFICE!!!
johnclarke on October 28 at 12:53 p.m.
Good idea, but I really doubt it…this is Idaho. Ol’ Butch “Tea Party” Otter pretty much wins by being a Republican. I know, it doesn’t make sense since he is a complete failure.
ImmerTreue on October 28 at 1:12 p.m.
Otter is spending too much time sucking up to ranchers and hunters and grandstanding about wolves. Do your job!
bare838 on October 28 at 4:23 p.m.
Par for the course for Otter. Did you miss that he turned back 6.5 million to the feds intended for the disadvantaged, so what’s another 10 million in farmer welfare?
straighttalk on October 29 at 3:13 p.m.
Hey guys, this was for 2009 crop not this year. Regardless, Otter scammed Lewis County farmers; hope they remember such at the voting booth come Tuesday. He owes them; unfortunately they will never ever collect from him; just other taxpayers will CYA his inept management. Just like with wolves. Otter has lost it if he ever had it.