When It Comes to Drought, USDA Says It's in Action
The Agriculture Department says it has been on top of the drought since March 1, monitoring the situation, setting up hotlines to handle worried callers and issuing enough statements to paper a thousand bird cages, easy. One of the latest informational gimmicks is a ``USDA Backgrounder'' listing the department's ``drought-related actions'' since the blotter-like furnaces began roaring across most of the nation. ``It was my idea, my memory isn't what it used to be,'' quipped Sally Michael, the department's deputy director of information. ``This helps me keep track of what we've done.'' Michael agreed during questioning by a reporter that the action list is lean on actual dollars going into the drought aid. Only two items had dollar amounts. One involved meat purchases for school cafeterias and the other a credit deal for the sale of meat to Mexico. The backgrounders will be updated every two weeks. The first lists 22 separate drought ``actions'' by USDA or its people, beginning more than four months ago. First item: ``March 1. Secretary of Agriculture Richard E. Lyng establishes USDA Drought Task Force under the chairmanship of Deputy Secretary Peter C. Myers. Members _ agency administrators and key USDA personnel _ will constantly monitor the potential drought situation.'' The blurb also gave the number of the USDA press release that formally announced the task force creation, but not its date. In reality, though the drought panel was set up by Lyng on March 1, the press release announcing the action was not issued until April 22. Department officials questioned at the time said they attached no significance to keeping the task force secret for seven weeks before announcing it. Excerpts from other USDA actions cited by the report: _May 31. Counties found to be suffering from drought will be allowed emergency haying and grazing of Acreage Conservation Reserve (ACR) and Conservation Use Acreage (CUA). At this time, haying and grazing do not apply to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. _June 9. Standing hay on farms held in inventory (taken over) by the Farmers Home Administration can be sold at a reasonable cost to help feed livestock in drought counties where state offices of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service have authorized release of set-aside acres for haying and grazing. _June 14. Lyng briefs Senate and House Agriculture Committees on the drought and offers to cooperate with the Congressional Relief Task Force announced by Sen. Patrich Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Kika de la Garza, D-Texas. _June 15. The White House announces a new Interagency Drought Policy Committee made up of USDA, Interior, the Office of the Vice President and several other agencies. Departments of State and Transportation, and the Council of Economic Advisers were subsequently added. _June 16. Lyng announces that farmers in designated drought counties will be authorized to harvest hay from land in the Conservation Reserve Program. Haying will be allowed for 30 days if farmers give up part of their CRP payments. Livestock grazing of CRP land was not authorized. _June 20. The Interagency Drought Policy Committee meets for the first time. _June 20. USDA begins making daily audio tapes of weather updates available to news media. _June 21. Lyng announces haying will be allowed on CRP land if a county has been approved for emergency haying and grazing of ACR and CUA land due to drought. _June 22. Lyng meets with the Congressional Drought Relief Task Force, which issues a ``statement of general agreements'' calling on the secretary to implement various forms of disaster assistance. _June 23. Lyng and other USDA officials meet in Chicago with the National Governors' Association Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. _June 23. While in Chicago, Lyng announces a toll-free hotline to answer questions about federal services available in drought areas. _June 23. Returning to Washington, Lyng briefs the president and vice president on the drought and says that there is agreement among congressmen, senators, farm groups and governors that it is too early for emergency relief measures. _June 23. After the White House meeting, the Interagency Drought Policy Committee meets for the second time at USDA. _June 24. In its first day of operation, USDA's hotline logs more than 600 calls in 10 hours. Lyng orders another eight lines installed, raising total to 18 lines. Greatest number of calls the first day are from Iowa, Wisconsin and North Dakota. _June 27. USDA announces that special crop surveys in several states and other steps will be taken to update the department's July 12 crop report and supply-and-demand projections for fall harvets, including corn and soybeans. _June 27. An additional $50 million has been set aside to buy bulk ground beef for donation to schools lunch and other feeding programs, to help cattle producers hurt by drought. _June 27. Lyng authorizes additional emergency provisions in drought counties, including permission for selling hay to anyone, and the harvest of ACR, CUA and CRP land as green chop for immediate feeding to livestock or silage. _June 27. Intragency Drought Policy Committee meets for the third time. _June 28. Federal and state officials set up a national hay information network, or HayNet, to assist in locating forage supplies. _June 29. Department will hold news conference July 12 following release of crop report and supply-demand projections. _June 29. Mexico can buy $40 million worth of meat under an amended credit arrangement. The purchases are intended to help bolster livestock markets depressed by drought liquidation of herds.
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