A bill to establish a standing state relief fund for farmers whose crops are devastated by hurricanes or other natural disasters moved to the S.C. House on Wednesday. The bill would create a South Carolina Farm Aid Fund to provide aid after a federally declared natural disaster for up to 20 percent of the farm’s crop loss. It was passed on a 14-2 vote by the House Agriculture committee, sending it to the House. The standing fund would have to receive dollars from the Legislature through the regular spending process. Farmers earlier described to the agriculture subcommittee how a series of disasters left them scrambling to stay in business, a process made harder by the slow and uncertain pace of federal relief. Crop insurance typically covers only up to 70 percent of a loss, and federal relief often takes years to be approved and paid, speakers told the subcommittee. State relief would plug much of the gap left by federal aid. Keith Allen, a fifth-generation farmer, described how heavy rains from two hurricanes, Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018, brought flooded fields and major crop damage to his Dillon County farm. The past year brought drought instead of flooding, which hurt his corn crop yield. Allen is still waiting on federal relief if the wake of Florence, which stalled over the Pee Dee and dumped huge rains, damaging multiple crops on his farm. “It just stayed there and rained and rained and rained,” Allen said. Even after crop insurance compensation, Allen lost more than $450,000 in damage to his crops of soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Congress has to pass a new disaster relief bill after every event, which can mean a long wait for aid, Allen said. A bid for federal relief for victims of Florence got sidetracked for months by debate over funding of President Donald Trump’s border wall, Allen said. Even getting a relief bill for farmers through the politics of Washington is no sure thing. “One little squabble or tweet would have made it not happen,” Allen said. Fifteen months later, Allen still is waiting for his federal relief for losses during Florence. During his wait, Allen had to take on additional debt to stay in business and try to recoup the losses of his disaster years. Farmers did receive one-time state relief in the wave of the catastrophic flooding of 2015, after storms dumped up to two feet of rain in parts of the state, but the move to offer direct aid faced opposition. The office of then-Gov. Nikki Haley opposed direct relief, instead urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expedite insurance payments. Former lawmaker Harry Ott, who now is CEO of the S.C. Farm Bureau, said that the state relief fund would provide quicker relief and would not duplicate federal aid when it comes. Back in 2016, Ott said, “we had leadership that did not see the need for federal aid.” Eventually, legislation creating a one-time fund of $40 million was passed over Haley’s veto to provide relief to farmers damaged by the 2015 flooding. Gov. Henry McMaster has been more supportive of state relief for farmers, Ott said. “Rural South Carolina needs as much help as we can give it,” said Ott, a farmer from Calhoun County. Having a standing state fund with set procedures would protect farmers from delays related to politics, Ott said. “We don’t have to worry about the whims of the governor’s office.” Rep. Josiah Magnuson, R-Campobello, said he opposed the bill, calling it an unneeded expansion of government’s role in the private sector. Charitable relief needs to come from people and private groups, not the state government, he said. “I’m not voting against farms, but voting for the role of government to be smaller,” Magnuson said. Source - https://www.postandcourier.com