Kansas Senators Ask USDA for Flexibility

Senator Pat Roberts and Congressman Roger Marshall, both Kansas Republicans, sent a letter this week to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on behalf of Kansas ranchers affected by the recent wildfires. The letter requested some flexibility on the part of the USDA in responding to what’s been a significant natural disaster. The lawmakers said in the letter that over 700,000 acres across the state were burned and local officials are still assessing the total damages. “As a result of the wildfires, farmers and ranchers across Kansas are in need of assistance to protect their property, livestock, and livelihood in a number of ways,” they said in the letter. They went on to say response efforts to this kind of disaster will require a certain amount of flexibility to respond appropriately to local and county circumstances. “We’d like to request that USDA considers any further requests, particularly those requests that have garnered local consensus, including additional conservation practices eligible for emergency grazing.”