Grassley made his appeal in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. "At a time when farmers are particulary vulnerable, it is critical for those in Congress and the administration to work together to address real concerns rather than promoting a political agenda," Grassley said.
Specifically, Grassley urged the administration to make helping farmers a top priority in its efforts to influence the congressional appropriations process this fall. Grassley said Democratic senators are seeking $750 million for the Labor-HHS appropriations bill above the budget allocation made for this area of federal spending.
In addition, Grassley pressed the administration to take action and make corn cut for silage eligible for loan deficiency payments. Grassley first made this request two weeks ago, however, he said he has not received a reply from the USDA. "USDA recently decided to extend LDP eligibility to high moisture corn, even though it is not explicitly authorized in the farm bill. Now, the administration ought to use its authority to help livestock producers, too. This action would address an inequity that currently exists between grain farmers and livestock producers, and there's no time to waste in taking action," Grassley said.