"Our farmers are facing the worst conditions of my lifetime, and the President doesn't want to give them the time of day" said Congressman Berry. "If we don't pass emergency relief legislation now, I am afraid many of our farmers will foreclose on their farms and go out of business."

Congressman Berry is working with colleagues in both the House and Senate to attach an agriculture relief package to legislation before the end of this session. Berry is urging adoption of an additional 50% direct payment for farmers or an additional payment based on yield loss. Despite strong support among rural members of Congress, the White House, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) expressed their opposition this week to any legislation that includes money for agriculture assistance.

Arkansas' farmers suffered unbelievable losses this year from a severe drought, high fuel prices, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The severe damage from the hurricanes not only ruined crops, but also brought the shipping industry along the Mississippi to a grinding halt. The barge bottleneck forced storage prices and transportation prices through the roof, making it next to impossible for many farmers to get their crops to market.

"I will continue to do everything I can think of to provide our farmers with relief, but it is difficult to succeed when the highest office in our country is determined to let our farmers fend for themselves," said Congressman Berry. "This is the final straw for an Administration that cares very little about the wellbeing of our farm families."

The text of the letter is included below.

December 16, 2005

President George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

I am writing once again to remind you of the dire situation facing agricultural producers in my district and many other parts of the nation. I urge you to call upon Congress to pass emergency assistance to American producers who have been impacted by natural disasters and unforeseen production costs.

As you know, the drought and hurricanes of 2005 left countless agricultural producers from the Gulf Coast to the Great Plains completely devastates. These natural disasters could not have come at a worse time. The 2005 crop year was already proving difficult enough as farmers faced record prices for essential farm inputs, such as diesel fuel, natural gas, and fertilizers. The severe damage caused by hurricanes to our gulf ports ruined numerous crops and brought the shipping and trade of grains to a grinding halt. The barge bottleneck along the Mississippi River and its tributaries led to abnormally high storage and transportation costs. This proved very difficult for Mississippi River Valley farmers as the damage occurred during peak harvest. Sadly, the American farmer has no way of directly offsetting such unpredictable losses because prices for their goods are predetermined by commodity markets.

This week, it came to my attention that the Administration is opposing efforts to provide immediate and direct assistance to agricultural producers who have suffered losses as a result of drought, hurricanes, and other natural disasters occurring during 2005. I strongly urge you to reconsider this action. I ask that you call up on leadership in Congress to end its opposition to such efforts and act to provide the necessary assistance to American farmers before the Christmas recess.

If the federal government refuses to provide such assistance during this time of emergency, I fear that a record number of our nation's farmers will be forced out of business before next year. This would be very damaging to our nation's agriculture economy. Please do what you can to provide the needed assistance.

Sincerely,

Marion Berry

Member of Congress