From NTRA WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 30, 2012) — Earlier this month the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012 (H.R. 6233). This bill would provide supplemental agricultural disaster assistance for fiscal year 2012 to affected livestock and crop producers and reauthorize several related programs that expired last year.
Farms that are in business to breed, raise and sell horses and are located in declared disaster areas would be eligible for these assistance programs. However, horses held exclusively for racing would not qualify.
Horse breeding farms that suffered through the extreme drought conditions that plagued many parts of the country earlier this summer or those that currently are battling flood waters from Hurricane Isaac are examples of potential qualified producers in this bill.
The next step in the legislative process would be for the Senate to pass this bill. With Congress in recess, it is not certain when the upper chamber may take action. Another opportunity for these programs to be reauthorized exists in the next version of the large Farm Bill that Congress has started to examine.