VISITED CENTRAL IOWA.
>> IT WAS FROM AN OLD FARM BOY
IT WAS PRETTY DISHEARTENING.
CHRIS U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY
: SONNY PERDUE’S TALKING ABOUT
HIS TOUR OF CROP DAMAGE FROM THE
AUGUST DERECHO.
HE POSTED THIS PHOTO ON TWITTER
BEFORE VIEWING IT FROM A
HELICOPTER THURSDAY.
HE WAS JOINED BY GOVERNOR
REYNOLDS, SENATOR ERNST, AND
STATE AG SECRETARY MIKE NAIG.
IT CAME AFTER AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF
FEDERAL AID FOR FARMERS IN MORE
THAN 40 IOWA COUNTIES, MANY OF
WHICH ARE THE KCCI VIEWING AREA.
FARMERS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR
FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS LIKE
LOW-INTEREST LOANS.
A LOT OF CORN WAS AMONG THE
MILLIONS OF ACRES DAMAGED.
AS HE VISITED PERFORMANCE
LIVESTOCK ANALYTICS IN AMES, I
ASKED THE SECRETARY ABOUT AID
FOR THE ETHANOL INDUSTRY.
>> RIGHT NOW WE DON’T HAVE ANY
ABILITY TO GO TO THE PROCESSING
SIDE OF IT, WE COVER OUR
PRODUCERS, OBVIOUSLY MANY OF
THEM ARE INVESTED IN ETHANOL THE
PRODUCERS, THE CORN GROWERS WILL
BE HELPED.
CHRIS: NOT ONLY ARE IOWA FARMERS
DEALING WITH THE DERECHO DAMAGE,
BUT MANY ARE DEALING WITH SEVERE
DROUGHT.
I ASKED THE SECRETARY WHAT
ASSISTANCE MIGHT BE ON THE WAY
FOR THEM.
>> TYPICALLY ARE SAFETY NET OF
CROP I
