[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19028-19029]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          DUST CLOUDS; NO RAIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, much of the central and western 
United States has been suffering from a grinding, unending drought that 
continues to harm farmers and ranchers and the rural communities in 
which they live. Compounding these losses is every disaster imaginable: 
hail, frost, tornado damage, and, yes, even flooding.
  For nearly half of the 8 years that I have had the opportunity to 
represent Kansans in Congress, much of our State has been in a severe 
drought. It gives me no joy to speak before my colleagues tonight and 
describe the difficulties that Kansas farmers and ranchers are 
enduring. With a resolve that finds itself in the roots of a previous 
generation of hardy pioneers, they are struggling to survive.
  The destruction from three hurricanes on homes, farms, businesses, 
schools, local economies, and, most importantly, the loss of life in 
Florida and other Gulf Coast States cannot be overstated. The people of 
Kansas mourn the deaths and support the rebuilding of lives and the 
reconstruction of those communities.
  Adverse weather conditions have no respect for State lines and, 
unfortunately, Kansas and other central and western areas of the United 
States have been greatly affected by weather as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I would much rather be standing here before you with the 
news that the drought has broken and that the rains have returned. I 
would love to describe the positive effects of crop revenues working 
their way through the local economy. This economic activity would 
energize struggling small businesses and, more importantly, restore 
hope in the faces and the lives of farmers and ranchers. But that is 
not the case.
  It is difficult for many to understand the severity of this 
continuing drought and its effect on rural America. Beside me is a 
picture reminiscent of the 1930's dust bowl, where producers were 
uprooted from their farms while their precious topsoil blew away. But 
this picture was not taken in the ``dirty '30s,'' but rather in the 
drought of 2004.
  The severity of these dust storms is evident in this picture, but 
there are tremendous costs elsewhere as well. Each year I travel 
through the counties of my district, 69 of them, and I meet with 
Kansans. There are many issues that threaten our way of life, including 
rising health care costs, the aging population and the general out-
migration of farm families. The average age of a Kansas farmer is 58\1/
2\ years old, and in many communities no young people are returning to 
farming because no money can be made.
  Despite this, Kansas and other residents of the plains are resilient 
people who believe that hard work and persistence can overcome almost 
any obstacle. The people of my State take pride in being self-reliant 
and overcoming adversity on their own. However, assistance is needed 
today. By no means will these producers realize profits, but at least 
this assistance may allow some to stay in farming long enough to 
experience a good harvest. In the words of one of my farmers who 
contacted me, ``I just need to hold on that long. It can't stay dry 
forever.''
  Talking about weather is not just polite conversation in Kansas, it 
is our way of life. Our farmers and ranchers risk their entire 
operations hoping for timely moisture. Unfortunately, many areas have 
not received these rains or have received them at the wrong time.
  By looking at the U.S. drought monitor map we can see that much of 
the central plains and western region of our country have been in a 
severe drought. While conditions could be improving for our fall crops, 
the damage of multiyear drought has been done.
  According to Kansas State University research, Kansas alone lost $1.1 
billion to its economy in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, it is estimated that 
$275 million was lost by our producers; and in 2004, wheat producers 
lost another $150 million. The majority of those losses, $82 million, 
occurred in northwest Kansas, which has had a drought for a solid 5 
years.
  These losses do not even begin to cover the cost to local business 
and other community organizations. Agriculture is the foundation of 
each rural community, and a bad harvest affects everyone from the car 
dealer to the home builder to Main Street grocery stores.
  This drought has not gone unnoticed by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. By the end of 2003 and for most of 2004, every county in 
Kansas was designated either as a primary or secondary disaster county.
  During my tenure on the Committee on Agriculture, we have worked to 
see that farmers and ranchers are treated

[[Page 19029]]

fairly and that the U.S. can continue to provide enough food and fiber 
to be self-reliant.
  As the chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and 
Risk Management, I have worked to approve the availability and benefits 
of crop insurance, and I will continue this effort. But as of now, 
there is no insurance solution for multiyear losses.
  I urge my colleagues in the House to support some form of disaster 
assistance. This funding will assist producers who have suffered yet 
another year of drought or other weather-related disasters. The timing 
of this assistance is crucial. Many producers simply will not survive 
one more crop disaster.
  Rural America is the backbone of our country and provides many of the 
essential components to the economy. We have the opportunity to keep 
their dreams from being carried away by the Kansas winds.

                          ____________________