Watson Coleman: “I stand with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Dayton, in bipartisan agreement. This is not a partisan issue, and it…”

“I stand with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Dayton, in bipartisan agreement. This is not a partisan issue, and it should not be a partisan issue. I consider this one of the most important pieces of legislation that has been left undone this year, agricultural disaster assistance. While this body has come to the aid of producers in the gulf affected by hurricanes who need agricultural disaster assistance, Minnesota's farmers and families have been left to fend for themselves in the face of natural disasters--the flooding of 2005 and the record drought in 2006. In the sugar sector alone, revenue was reduced by $60 million in Minnesota in 2005 thanks to this natural disaster. In one county, crop loss exceeded $52 million, and farmers were prevented from planting over 90,000 acres thanks to saturated fields. These are not just numbers; these are people's lives. These are their livelihoods. There is a sense of history and connection to the land, and the future is now at risk. The farmers are calling my office desperate to save the family farm. Farmers are losing operations, pure and simple.”