July 28, 2021 3:00 a.m. 

On Tuesday, Oregon’s entire congressional delegation joined with western colleagues in the House and Senate to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture to secure more relief for farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers in western states affected by historic wildfires, droughts and extreme heat.

A joint release said a letter was sent to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack signed by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, Suzanne Bonamici and Cliff Bentz. The lawmakers asked that USDA relief programs be opened up to more producers that have lost crops and livestock due to the ongoing droughts, extreme heat and wildfires.

The release said in addition to droughts and wildfires, an extreme heatwave hit the Pacific Northwest in June with temperatures reaching as high as 120 degrees. In response, Vilsack issued several disaster declarations unlocking vital resources. The lawmakers said many of the producers who suffered the greatest heat-related issues were either located in counties not covered by the drought designations, experienced losses not covered by drought assistance programs, or both.

The lawmakers are asking requesting that the USDA explore all potential flexibilities for additional relief within existing programs and identify other options to deliver federal relief to producers in Oregon, so they will have the resources to overcome the extreme drought and heat crisis.

The release said a long list of agricultural crops experienced excessive heat impacts to quality and yield.

The full letter is linked: https://delbene.house.gov/uploadedfiles/wildfires_droughts_heat_wave_letter.pdf