October 03, 2011
Ag Disaster Relief Fund makes $10,000 Award to Scott County
County will use funds to repair gravel roads damaged by heavy rain, flooding
Another rural county in southeast Missouri is getting a hand with repairs following this spring's severe weather, courtesy of the agricultural community. Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler presented Jamie Burger, presiding commissioner of Scott County, with a check for $10,000 from the Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund today, fully-funding their request for assistance to repair gravel roads damaged by heavy rain and flooding this year.
"We are committed to doing everything in our power to assist the communities affected by natural disasters throughout Missouri, now and into the future," said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. "Through the Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund, we are able to provide support directly to Missouri's farmers, farm families and rural communities following natural disasters, providing for some of their immediate household needs, repairs to infrastructure and clean up of agricultural areas."
Scott County, over three-fourths of which is farmland, applied for a Major Disaster Grant through the Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund with plans to repair gravel roads throughout the county damaged this year.
"Like many other counties across Missouri, Scott County's roads were devastated by heavy rains, flash flooding and record crests by the Mississippi River. Spreading rock onto damaged roads will make the roads safer for the traveling public, school busses and farmers hauling grain to terminals and also ensure that roadbeds are solid for the upcoming winter freezing and thawing," said Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger. "The Department of Agriculture's recognition of the infrastructure damages shows that they truly have a concern for rural Missouri and a huge willingness to assist in rebuilding."
The Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund addresses the immediate needs of farm families following disaster, to extend grants to non-profit organizations for infrastructure repair and clean up and to help individuals and organizations with exceptional need with major disaster grants. The Fund is administered by the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) and provides grants from $500 to $10,000.
This summer, the Department of Agriculture, with support from Gov. Jay Nixon and agriculture industry representatives, announced the creation of the Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund to help Missouri farmers recover from severe storms, floods and tornadoes that have impacted thousands of families and businesses this year. Donations from Monsanto, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Dow AgroSciences and others have raised the fund total to more than $175,000.
Applications for disaster relief funding can be accessed on http:/www.mda.mo.gov or http://www.AgriMissouri.com or contact the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority at (573) 751-2129 or masbda@mda.mo.gov.
Those interested in donating to the fund can do so by electronic check or credit card by visiting http://agrimissouri.com/growandgive/disasterrelief/. Donations qualify as a charitable contribution under Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.