Beebe Releases $2 Million For Rancher Assistance During Drought
by August 15, 2012 3:35 pm 93 views
Gov. Mike Beebe released $2 million from a state disaster fund on Wednesday (Aug. 15) that will help Arkansas ranchers affected by recent drought conditions.
Known as the Livestock Assistance Grant Program, the funds will help cattle, sheep and goat producers, many of whom are finding it difficult to locate, grow or afford hay and other feed for their animals.
The program will be administered by the Arkansas Agriculture Department and payments will be made on a per-head basis for q
ualifying livestock producers who apply in the next two weeks. Applications must be filed online, hand-delivered or postmarked by Wednesday, August 29.
Beebe also disclosed today that he sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a temporary waiver of ethanol quotas for renewable fuels.
The federal mandates consume U.S. grains, particularly corn, and have made it that much harder for Arkansas ranchers to find and afford feed stock during the drought, Beebe said.