    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [May 30, 1996]
    [Pages 834-835]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Drought Relief for Southern Plains States
    May 30, 1996

        I am today directing the Secretary of Agriculture to take action to
    provide relief for producers suffering from drought. Specifically, small
    grain producers with Federal crop insurance who have suffered major
    small grain and forage crop losses will be eligible for assistance under
    both the Nominated Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) as well as
    crop insurance.
        Millions of acres of seeded small grain forage have been lost due to
    drought. Even though all acreage is recognized as grain, some producers
    intended more than one use from a single

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    planting: forage for livestock and grain for harvest.
        While crop insurance compensates for grain losses, it does not
    compensate for the forage or grazing values of those crops. To alleviate
    the extreme hardships the drought caused, NAP provisions are being
    extended to cover small grain forage and grazing losses, even though the
    final intended use is grain. This action will provide an estimated $70
    million in assistance, primarily to producers in Texas and Oklahoma,
    many of whom are facing the worst drought in 100 years.
        Secretary Glickman made this recommendation to me after visiting the
    Southern Plains region last month, and having extensive discussions with
    Congressmen de la Garza, Stenholm, Richardson, Skeen, and Senator
    Bingaman. Their hard work helped us to recognize that if we do not make
    full use of the tools we have, a lot of farmers may not be in business
    by the time we finally see adequate rain.
        USDA's NAP program provides crop loss protection for growers of many
    crops for which Federal crop insurance is not available. Funding for NAP
    payments is assured, and State offices of USDA's Farm Service Agency
    have flexibility to define eligible areas. To be eligible, producers
    must have a previously established record at their local Farm Service
    Agency office of both grazing and cropping their small grain acreage.