{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-jones-backs-request-for-agricultural-disaster-declaration-to-aid-alabama-farmers-impacted-by-hurricane-michael", "Senator Jones Backs Request for Agricultural Disaster Declaration to Aid Alabama Farmers Impacted by Hurricane Michael", "2018-10-18", "2018", "2018-10", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Doug Jones", "J000300", "www.jones.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Birmingham, Ala. U.S. Senator Doug Jones today wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to support a request by Governor Ivey to declare parts of southeast Alabama as agricultural disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Michael. By obtaining this declaration, farmers in the region whose crops were damaged or destroyed would be eligible to apply for additional support from USDA. Due\r\nto the hurricane, a preliminary damage assessment has estimated that cotton\r\nproducers have suffered the most. According to the Alabama Cooperative\r\nExtension System, Alabama farmers have lost a little over $100 million in\r\ncotton. For the cotton that has remained, it will be priced at less than market\r\nvalue due to the lower quality, Senator Jones wrote. Agriculture contributes\r\ngreatly to the economy of Alabama, particularly in the Wiregrass region. I will\r\ncontinue to stand behind our farmers and help them during this challenging\r\ntime. Alabama\r\nfarmers can visit the USDA's Disaster\r\nAssistance Discovery Tool to learn about additional recovery programs\r\nfor which they may be eligible. Those in Barbour, Dale, Geneva, Henry, and\r\nHouston counties are already eligible for special assistance through the Environmental\r\nQuality Incentives Program (EQIP). Full\r\ntext of Senator Jones' letter is below and available\r\nhere.  Dear\r\nSecretary Perdue: I\r\nam writing to support Governor Kay Ivey's request to declare the appropriate\r\ncounties in Alabama as agricultural disaster areas following the devastation\r\ncaused by Hurricane Michael. Due\r\nto the hurricane, a preliminary damage assessment has estimated that cotton\r\nproducers have suffered the most. According to the Alabama Cooperative\r\nExtension System, Alabama farmers have lost a little over $100 million in\r\ncotton. For the cotton that has remained, it will be priced at less than market\r\nvalue due to the lower quality. Further, it is estimated that with\r\ninfrastructure repairs and crop damage to all commodities, the overall cost\r\nwill be approximately $200 million to the region. Agriculture\r\ncontributes greatly to the economy of Alabama, particularly in the Wiregrass\r\nregion. I will continue to stand behind our farmers and help them during this\r\nchallenging time. I appreciate all that you and your agency has done to address\r\nour concerns.   Sincerely,                              Doug\r\nJones  United\r\nStates Senator  ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-jones-backs-request-for-agricultural-disaster-declaration-to-aid-alabama-farmers-impacted-by-hurricane-michael"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7194920908659697, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}