Please call 202/225-0006 to hear a recorded message by Congressman Lucas regarding passage of this legislation. Stay on the line and the message will repeat once automatically.

"As I have said before, it is encouraging to see that we finally do have the ear of House and Senate leadership on the need for agriculture disaster relief," Lucas said. "I believe the passage of $4.2 billion for our agriculture producers today acknowledges the immense stress agriculture is under in states like Oklahoma, and is in fact, the largest agriculture disaster aid package passed by Congress in ten years.

"Included in this disaster package is $175 million for a livestock feed program," Lucas said. "Originally the number for this program was $75 million, however, I and other like-mind legislators poked a lot of shoulders to persuade legislators to add at least another $100 million to a program so important to our struggling ranchers in Oklahoma."

The ag disaster relief package also includes:

$1.5 billion to assist producers who have been hit by crop losses in 1998.

An additional $675 million to provide assistance to producers who have suffered multiple-year crop losses.

$1.65 billion in Agricultural Market Transition (AMTA) payments for FY98 (this funding is above the approximately $8 billion available to producers in Sept/Oct 1998)

"These provisions, in addition to the legislation we passed already this year making all FY99 market transition payments available to producers right now and at least a little more rain in some parts of Oklahoma, are going to relieve some of the stress on our Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.

Other especially beneficial provisions to Oklahoma contained in the Agriculture Appropriations bill include research and operation funding for the Agriculture Research Stations in Woodward and El Reno as well as $40 million to maintain operation of Farm Service Agency offices at current staff levels--a big win for the farming community.