WASHINGTON-
Colorado Rep. John Salazar said he still hopes that the federal government will be able to find money to help ranchers in Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, whose cattle died in December blizzards. But it’s unclear where help could come from.
Salazar, a Democrat, spoke with Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Monday, pleading with him to find a pot of money to help with losses. Earlier this month, the Agriculture Department rejected Colorado’s request to declare a crop disaster in 10 counties, saying there is no evidence farmers suffered crop damage.
Colorado ranchers say they have lost an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 head of cattle because of the severe weather, but they have not been able to make the case that they qualify for federal compensation.
Salazar said there are a few programs set up to help, but they don’t have any money to distribute, Salazar said.
Johanns “said he would do everything he possibly could,” Salazar said in an interview. “He said he would try to shake the tree as best he could to shift funding.”
A spokesman for the Agriculture Department could not immediately be reached for comment.
Salazar said the full weight of the storm likely isn’t yet known. Cattle who lived are now giving birth to stillborn calves because of the stressful winter, compounding losses. Others are likely still buried under the snow in canyons where they tried to find shelter.
Salazar spoke with Johanns following a meeting this weekend with several agriculture groups in Colorado. He sought a one-on-one conversation with Johanns after Farm Service Agency state executive director Lewis Frank told him that in the past he was able to get money for drought compensation.
The department has made low-interest loans available, but many ranchers who lost livestock have also lost their ability to repay the loans, Salazar said.
“That’s their livelihood,” he said. “If they have no calves, they have no income.”
