The Big Horn County Commissioners voted Tuesday to send a letter and resolution to Governor Dave Freudenthal seeking a disaster declaration to assist the sugar beet, dry beans and alfalfa seed growers.
According to a letter from Bryan H. Schoenfelder, county executive director for the Big Horn County Farm Service Agency County Committee, the FSA committee requested the disaster declaration. “The disaster occurred over Oct. 9-11, when temperatures plummeted well below freezing and damaged agricultural commodity crops. Some of the most adversely effected crops were unharvested sugar beets, dry beans and alfalfa seed,” Schoenfelder said.
He wrote that temperatures as low as 18 degrees were record in Greybull on Oct. 10 with a low of 9 degrees record in Powell on the same day.
“The FSA office has received various reports of loss ranging from complete crop loss to damaged production. A disaster declaration would enable the Farm Service Agency to provide the agricultural producers of Big Horn County with all of the agency’s disaster relief programs,” Schoenfelder wrote.