Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 6, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke requests disaster declarations for 13 Washington counties

OLYMPIA - In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann
Veneman, Gov. Gary Locke today requested the federal government designate 13
Washington counties agricultural disaster areas.

Locke made the request following a U.S. Farm Service Agency survey which
found that last week's severe storms caused heavy crop damage, especially to
such fruit crops as cherries, peaches, apricots, apples and pears.

The following is the FSA survey of the June 26 and June 27 storm damage.
Each county is estimating losses of 30 percent or greater for each crop
listed.

• Adams - onions, potatoes, wheat, cherries, dry beans, dry peas, barley,
  canola
  
• Benton - hops, apples, pears, grapes
  
• Chelan - cherries
  
• Clark - strawberries, raspberries
  
• Columbia - wheat, barley
  
• Douglas - cherries
  
• Franklin - apples, cherries, wheat, corn, potatoes, grass seed
  
• Grant - apples, soft fruit, beans, alfalfa
  
• King - vegetable row crops
  
• Klickitat - cherries
  
• Pierce - lettuce, strawberries, rhubarb
  
• Walla Walla - wheat, grass seed, onion, barley
  
• Yakima - alfalfa, apples, apricots, barley, beans, cherries, corn,
  cucumbers and pickles, grapes, hops, mint, nectarines, nursery crops, oats, onions, peaches, pears, peas, peppers, plums and prunes, potatoes, silage and hay, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, wheat

The designation would provide emergency low-interest Farm Service Agency
loans, as well as livestock assistance to cover production and farm property
losses to farmers and ranchers in the designated counties. The designation
also could provide economic injury loans to farmers and ranchers through the
U.S. Small Business Administration and would extend to counties contiguous
to the declared counties.

"We hope the federal Department of Agriculture can approve these requests as
quickly as possible so emergency aid can be made available soon for
Washington farmers who have suffered major crop losses due to the disastrous
June 26 and June 27 storms," Locke said.

Earlier this week the governor visited with farmers in the Zillah-area of
Yakima County to witness crop damage and express his concern over the
devastating agricultural losses.

In addition to emergency loan assistance from the federal government, the
governor is also exploring various options to provide assistance to growers
and workers who suffered economic loss as a result of the storm.

---

Related Links:
- U.S. Farm Service Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Gov. Locke's letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman

» Return to this month's News Releases

» View News Release Archive