USA: CONNECTICUT: AGRICULTURE SECRETARY GLICKMAN VISIT скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: CONNECTICUT: AGRICULTURE SECRETARY GLICKMAN VISIT

(11 Aug 1999) English/Nat U-S Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman visited Connecticut's drought ridden farms on Wednesday and declared the state a federal disaster area. Farmers in the state will now be eligible for low-interest loans to help them recover from their crop losses. Many farmers say the loans won't be enough and direct grants should be made to help meet the costs of the worst drought to hit the northeast United States this century. Ironically, the Agriculture Secretary's tour came on a day when Connecticut was experiencing sporadic rain, an otherwise rare occurrence this summer. However Dan Glickman and the farmers were quick to note that the drizzle would do little to save crops that have already been ruined. The two billion (b) dollar Connecticut agriculture sector employs roughly 60-thousand people on about four thousand farms. The state generates almost 900 million (m) dollars in farm income. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Today I'm announcing that USDA has declared the entire state of Connecticut a federal disaster area, so I think that will be helpful." SUPER CAPTION: Dan Glickman, U-S Secretary of Agriculture SOUNDBITE: (English) "I don't think it can help us. As far as loans, it would be borrowing money to pay borrowed money off. We'd be right back in the same business, to start next year would be impossible." SUPER CAPTION: Charlie Christoforo, Farmer SOUNDBITE: (English) "We're harvesting about fifty percent of what we should harvest. The labour costs are still gonna be the same on a poor crop as a good crop, so expenses are kind of fixed. If your crop isn't there, it doesn't work." SUPER CAPTION: Nelson Cecarelli, Farmer SOUNDBITE: (English) "Any rain at this point is a help. Plants will absorb some through the leaves even if it's a sprinkle. We're thankful for anything we can get, but we really need quite a lot of rain." SUPER CAPTION: Nelson Cecarelli, Farmer Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...