01/16/06 Disaster counties; steady wheat acres

Washington Ag January 16, 2006 Sixteen Washington counties have received a disaster designation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture because of drought or other related weather problems in 2005. James Fitzgerald, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency, says the designation will help producers in the counties to be eligible for long-term, low-interest loans from the FSA. Farmers in neighboring counties may also be eligible. The primary counties are Benton, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Pacific, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima. FSA is accepting loan applications in county offices until September 11th of this year. The Washington Agricultural Statistics Service reports farmers in the state planted the same amount of land to winter wheat last fall as they did in 2004, one-million 850-thousand acres. Randy Suess, chairman of the Washington Wheat Commission, says the fact farmers held acreage steady isn't any surprise to him. Suess: "You look at what are your options. Farmers had to put the winter wheat in even though the fuel and fertilizers prices are up. What other options do we really have." Suess says commissioners reported good moisture conditions at a meeting last week so there is optimism about a good crop but also some uneasiness about a general lack of snow cover should severe cold show up yet this winter. I'm Bob Hoff.