Tester, Baucus applaud disaster assistance for Gallatin County

Senators pressed USDA to deliver prompt support to Montana farmers

(U.S. SENATE) – Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus today applauded USDA for designating Gallatin County a disaster area, making local farmers eligible for needed disaster assistance. The assistance will help southwest Montana farmers recover from an early August storm that caused crop losses of between 50 to 100 percent and damage of nearly $50 million in Gallatin County:

“Supporting our hard-working farmers is always common-sense, but especially after sudden and devastating storms like the one we experienced earlier this month,” Tester said. “Seeing the devastation firsthand made me sick to my stomach, and I hope this assistance will help farmers in southwest Montana get back on their feet.”

“One-in-five Montana jobs rely on our agriculture industry which is why this assistance is so important for our state and our economy,” Baucus said. “When disasters strike, it’s the Montana way to circle around those most in need and this assistance will go a long way in helping farmers recover from such a devastating storm.”

Gallatin County farmers are now eligible for assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), including emergency loans. Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information about meeting the requirements to receive assistance.

Counties bordering Gallatin County – Broadwater, Jefferson, Madison, Meagher and Park – are also eligible for certain disaster assistance.

Tester and Baucus wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this week, asking him to quickly approve Governor Bullock’s request for disaster assistance. Tester toured the storm devastation in southwest Montana earlier this month.