Disaster relief to be sought for Panhandle today

By John David Sutter

Published: June 4, 2008

The state secretary of agriculture will ask the governor this afternoon to start the process of classifying the Oklahoma Panhandle as a disaster area because of an extreme drought, said Jack Carson, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture.

Crops are failing in the western Panhandle, and farmers are running out of grass to feed their cattle, residents said. One resident said the area is starting to look like the Sahara Desert.

A disaster declaration would have to come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Carson said, and the governor would need to recommend the declaration to that agency.

The disaster designation could bring help in the form of low-interest loans and tax relief, which would help farmers and ranchers buy feed, replace failed crops and buy back livestock they have to sell, Carson said.

But, even if approved, the aid may not come soon.

"It's a slow process, let's just be honest," he said. "We're talking in terms of months."

A conservation official in Cimarron County, at the western edge of the Panhandle, said he wants officials to visit the area so they can get an idea of how intense the drought is. Hal Clark, chair of the conservation district in that county, sent a letter to his county commission who then wrote the governor about the drought.

Clark said some farmers in Cimarron County are selling off all of their livestock because they can't afford to feed them. They're using hay supplies stocked up from years past, he said.

Only drops of rain have fallen on the area in the past year. Derek Arndt, assistant state climatologist, said the coming weeks will be "make or break" for farmers and ranchers in the area.

Recent triple-digit temperatures are increasing soil evaporation and adding to the bad situation, he said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has labeled the drought in the western two counties the Panhandle "extreme," the second most severe drought designation.

Forecasts for rain are inconclusive, Arndt said.

Clark said he is eternally optimistic, and is sure the rain will come soon.

Comments