The National Cotton Council has worked to deliver comprehensive assistance for 2009 weather-related crop losses. Producers of program crops across many states suffered from a variety of weather-related losses. The special program announced by the Department of Agriculture does not represent the type of comprehensive assistance sought by the National Cotton Council.
Senator Lincoln (D-AR) worked tirelessly in Congress to provide critical assistance to producers suffering losses in 2009. The Senator’s effort is based, in part, on the fact that protection for many producers under the disaster authority in SURE and even in crop insurance products, are not effective.
The NCC urges the Department of Agriculture to find the means to expand this special program to provide assistance to producers in all areas who suffered weather-related losses in 2009.