Press Release 10/26/2007
Georgia commercial catfish farmers may apply for disaster relief funds to recoup 2005-2007 feed cost
Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin alerts commercial catfish farmers in Georgia that they may be eligible to receive disaster relief funds to partially off-set feed costs in 2005, 2006 and the beginning of this year.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture Catfish Feed Assistance Program is designed to reimburse some of the increased feed costs catfish farmers in the state experienced during the ’05, ’06 and ’07 droughts.
Additionally, catfish farmers may also apply for feed reimbursements during any declared disaster (drought/flood/freeze) during the same period of time. The federally funded program is operated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Anytime we can get federal funds to help Georgia farmers, that’s a good thing,” Irvin says. “This is not a big grant, maybe $100,000, but we are going to be able to give catfish farmers food assistance money that they had not anticipated receiving.”
Catfish feed, which includes both corn and soybeans, has increased in cost in recent years due to increased demand for biofuels, increased production costs, reduced supply caused by drought, and decreased acreage of soybeans.
The undetermined dollar amount of the federal assistance coming to Georgia commercial catfish farmers is anticipated to be the percent of loss reported from all catfish producers in the state.
The assistance covers catfish feed loss only to commercial catfish farmers who experienced natural disaster loss between January 2, 2005 through February 27, 2007. The assistance program does not cover losses experienced from the 2007 Easter weekend freeze.
The amount of reimbursement is expected to equal 61 percent of the 30-day catfish feed supply rate for the single applicable year. Feed loss is defined as physical loss of feed that was damaged or destroyed, increased feed cost, or cost associated with lost feeding days as a result of disaster conditions. In some instances during floods caused by hurricanes, catfish ponds and feed storage units were damaged or destroyed causing feed loss.
Eligible commercial catfish farmers should contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture Public Affairs at (404) 656-3689, (800)282-5852 or e-mail: Yseidu@agr.state.ga.us.
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