Mark Udall: “I support this supplemental appropriations bill. Among other things, it will provide critically important funding for…”

“I support this supplemental appropriations bill. Among other things, it will provide critically important funding for farmers and ranchers in southeastern Colorado who were hit hard by storms last winter. Thousands of cattle were killed. While I have not seen a final total of the damage resulting from this winter's storms, it seems evident that they will be even worse than those resulting from an October 1997 storm that killed approximately 30,000 cattle and cost farmers and ranchers an estimated $28 million. The struggles that family agriculture producers and small counties face are significant and are having a negative impact on the livelihood of hundreds of farmers and ranchers and their communities. Besides heavy crop and livestock losses and increased production costs associated with rapidly escalating input costs, many producers also face infrastructure losses that pose serious, long-term challenges to economic recovery. So, I am pleased that the bill includes financial assistance for our beleaguered farmers and ranchers, as well as for many others in other parts of the country who need and deserve assistance.”