Reps Meet With Farmers
Published March 7, 2008
Hours after the Feb. 5 tornado hit Izard County, state Rep. Eddie Cooper rode around Steve Wortham’s farm surveying the damage. In addition to the several hundred head of cattle that were dead, or soon would be, eight structures, miles of fencing and various farm equipment, as well as Wortham’s home, were a total loss.
In an effort to find avenues that might help farmers like Wortham, Cooper and Sen. Paul Gray Miller hosted an informal meeting recently at the Izard County Fairgrounds.
Along with the state legislators, U.S. senators Mark Pryor’s and Blanche Lincoln’s offices had representatives in attendance, as did U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, the governor’s office, members of the Cattlemen’s Association and county government heads, who were all there to talk about what could be done to help farmers.
While agencies are assisting in any way possible, the farmers are finding they have few, if any, venues for recouping their losses. Those in attendance were there only to discuss agricultural type losses.
“Steve had high numbers in a small spot,” Izard County Judge Rayburn Finley said. “He’s the big (property) loser as far as Izard County is concerned.” So far, his death toll is more than 250 head of uninsured cattle.
Cooper asked, “What’s out there?” in connection with financial help for the farmers.
Joe Dillard, with Berry’s office, said they are in the process of trying to work out a tax indemnity program, but explained these type of things take time.Various programs that have been in effect before were discussed by the agricultural agents in attendance.
County Executive Director David Curtis talked about some of the programs designated for debris removal from farms and reconstruction of outbuildings. He explained if money were to become available for rebuilding fences the monetary factor would be decided on how old the fence was. He said the price was based on $1.48 a foot to build a fence that included four strands of barbed wire and 75 percent of that could be refunded to the farmer, but added the older the fence, the less reimbursement there would be.
It was also explained the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not going to help agriculture and the only avenue that might be open would be short-term money or low-interest loans.
A representative from Sharp County said numbers for agricultural loss there are calculated on 50 farms at $5,000 per acre.
Jim Estes, from Sharp County, didn’t buy the numbers and voiced his displeasure, saying he had 230 acres of debris and downed trees and 300 dead goats.
“What you’re telling me is I need to live with it?” Estes asked.
Miller questioned Estes about the amount of loss he has sustained.
“I don’t have anything left, Mr. Miller.” Estes said.
“I don’t know any other way to speed things up,” Curtis said.
Dillard responded, “It’s a tough time that we’re going through. Congressman Berry is going to do what he can to expedite funding.”
In order to put the situation in perspective, Dillard explained that the problems here were not top priority to the rest of the world. “To most of the world up there (Washington, D.C.), it’s not important unless it hits their states.”
A representative with Gov. Mike Beebe’s office said a clean-up crew from the Arkansas Department of Correction would be available to help Izard County start with the debris removal.
“They’re (representatives) trying to do all they can for us,” Finley said. “We have to be patient.”
Lance Humphries, a farmer in Sharp County, also lost several head of cattle and a horse. He also lost a barn and his home was severely damaged.
Curtis said one of the most important things the farmers could do is to keep good records.
“Good records is going to be the key to getting paid when someone comes around,” he said.
Cooper said he appreciated the congressional delegates attending the meeting as well as representatives from the Cattlemen’s Association and the governor’s office.
“We will do the best we can to hurry this up. We can’t do more than that,” Miller said.
Curtis said he believes the funds will eventually come through to help offset some of the expenses.
“These people (representatives) being here is very important,” Curtis said, explaining there is not much in state government that covers agricultural losses.
While the numbers are staggering for Wortham, the loss doesn’t end there. Studies show that livestock become traumatized and begin to lose weight and sometimes die later.
Wortham said his cattle that are still living have lost from 80 to 100 pounds each and in addition to that, “They’re hard to market.”
“This is not hobby farming,” he said.
Wortham said the frustration for him and other farmers is that the United States Department of Agriculture is always claiming they are going to do something, but in reality the only help out there seems to be for the row crop farmers.
Records from the Environmental Working Group’s Farm Subsidy Database show subsidies paid out for 2005, the latest year for which figures are available, in Izard County show 61 farms were paid a total of $46,371 in 2005. In nearby Independence County, 343 farms received $2.85 million.
In Mississippi County, where the majority of the farming is row crops, the total paid out in 2005 to 2,015 farms was $34 million.
Wortham said he believes both Cooper and Miller are doing everything they can to see that the farmers get some relief, but knows their hands are tied with bureaucratic red tape.
“We’re on our own, unless you are a row crop farmer,” he said.
