Farmers Say Disaster Aid Inadequate

One crisis after another has made it a tough year for Idaho farmers, and many at an informational meeting said they feel federal aid is inadequate.

State officials say 33 of Idaho’s 44 counties have declared some type of disaster in the past year, and farmers and ranchers are feeling the pinch.

About 30 of them gathered Wednesday at the Jefferson County Courthouse to find out from representatives of federal agencies where they can get help.

A similar meeting later in Bingham County drew about 55 people. Both meetings were sponsored by U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho.

The results were only vaguely encouraging. Most available federal aid is in the form of loans or matching funds. Many said they think not only is the money inadequate but the terms also are unfair.

“We didn’t flood ourselves,” Menan farmer Dean Boyce said. “This is going to be costly to us. We get a lot of information, but we need the actual bucks.”

Only the Federal Emergency Management Agency can offer grants, which do not have to be repaid, to homeowners and renters. But FEMA grants are small and specific to home repairs, not crop damage.

“We’re really just a Band-Aid,” said Christie Grant, a FEMA representative. “We don’t give out a lot of money, but we do help.”

Other agencies, such as the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Council, are offering matching funds of up to 64 percent for qualified applicants. Families can get a loan guarantee from the Farm Service Agency to take to their personal bankers or borrow up to $500,000 in emergency loans from the agency at interest rates just below 4 percent.

The agency has requested more than $1.5 million in assistance from the federal disaster relief fund in anticipation of claims from Bingham, Jefferson, Bonneville, Custer and Madison counties.

There is no guarantee how much money actually will be available. Idaho is competing with the rest of the country for limited disaster funds.