Governor Rell Announces Federal Aid Available

for Drought-Damaged Connecticut Farms

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that, in response to her December 23 request for federal assistance to Connecticut producers of crops that were damaged during the 2005 drought, Secretary Mike Johanns of the United States Department of Agriculture has designated the entire state of Connecticut as a primary natural disaster area.  The designation makes farm operators in all Connecticut counties eligible to be considered for low-interest federal emergency loans.  

“This is very good news for Connecticut farms,” Governor Rell said.  “Our aim was to help Connecticut farm operators recover the losses they suffered during last summer’s drought.  This federal designation sets their recovery process in motion.”

            Abnormally dry conditions severely reduced production yields for pumpkin, hay, sweet corn, field corn, and feed crops for Connecticut’s 2005 growing year.  From June through mid-October 2005, Connecticut suffered from drought conditions affecting most crops, especially pumpkins in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties.  The net result of these drought conditions was a pumpkin production yield of 50 percent below normal.

Notable crop losses across Connecticut also included a production loss of hay of over 30 percent in Hartford County; a production loss in hay of over 30 percent in Tolland County; a production loss in hay field corn and feed crops in New London County; and in Windham County a production loss in sweet corn by over 40 percent and in hay of over 50 percent.

Governor Rell said that farmers can contact the State Department of Agriculture at (860) 713-2503 for more information.