Document text
Ranchers, farmers offer mixed opinions on federal subsidies By MELISSA MARTIN The federal government wants to help Jackson County ranchers and farmers who lost crops or money because of the wet spring and dry summer last year. Ranchers and farmers have until Feb. 4 to apply for the Livestock Assistance Program and until Feb. 19 to apply for the crop loss program, said Carol Williams of the Farm Service Agency. "The average farmer is in a distress situation," Williams said. "We don't subsidize the farmers like we used to, yet we've opened up the market where they are competing against subsidized farmers in other countries." But some local ranchers and farmers don't believe the solution is taking a government handout. "We figure it's not right for other people to be paying our way," said Marsha Schulz, who, along with her husband, Dale, are second-generation ranchers in Sams Valley. They raise hay and alfalfa for local horse owners. "Weather is a normal thing for agriculture people to deal with," she said. Ranchers and farmers are accustomed to saving their money during the good years to make up for losses during the bad years, Schulz said. Sams Valley rancher Ron Anderson is another small operator who doesn't apply for subsidies. If he loses money because of the elements, he cuts his costs. "If I'm ever short of feed, I sell cows," Anderson said. Judy Jackson, a Lake Creek rancher along with her husband, Terry, said she noticed ranchers dropping hay for cattle in May, a time of year when cattle should be grazing on new grass sprouting from the ground. "A lot of people had to feed their cattle, and any time you have to feed, it sure does make a difference," Jackson said. "I know buying hay can be quite expensive" -- about $55 per month per animal, she added. However, she doesn't know any ranchers who will apply for assistance. "Farmers or ranchers don't trust the government, so they won't participate in the program," she said. There may not be any applicants in the Ashland area either, according to Barbara Decker, who serves with Jackson on the Farm Service Agency committee. Decker and her husband, B.J., have a cattle and sheep ranch in Ashland. "Most people in agriculture don't know how to fill out these government forms," Decker said. Ranchers with non-irrigated pastures and farmers who can show a 35 percent loss could qualify for part of $1 million in emergency aid approved last October by Congress. Farmers who lost the first two cuttings of their hay crop because of the wet spring may be eligible, Williams said. So could the ranchers who had to buy hay from Klamath County because there was none available in Jackson County. Ranchers are used to riding out the storm, said Randy White, an agent with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Many local farmers survived Jackson County's nine-year drought. "We learn to deal with what mother nature gives us," White said. To apply for assistance, call 776-4270, or visit the Farm Service Agency, 1109 Ellen Ave., Medford. Staff members are willing to help ranchers fill out paperwork, Decker said. "They are really excellent," Decker said. "If a rancher has a problem, they should go down and talk to them." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA