AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After the state’s worst wildfire in history, two Republicans in Congress from Texas are introducing a bill that would give farmers more money when they lose pregnant cows in natural disasters.
A bill was presented by Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Ronny Jackson on Tuesday that would increase government help for unborn animals that are killed through the Livestock Indemnity Program. More than 15,000 cattle were killed in the terrible Panhandle wildfires this year. If this bill passes, it could help farmers in Texas.
At the moment, the Secretary of Agriculture pays farmers whose animals die in natural disasters, bad weather, sickness, or even attacks by other animals. The payments are usually about 75% of the national average price per animal. However, if the animal that died was pregnant, the payments do not go to the future animals.
A rancher in Pampa named Craig Cowden had better luck than most people during the flames that burned more than a million acres in the Texas Panhandle. He didn’t lose any animals this time, but he has in the past during wildfires.
She said, “I believe the bill can be very useful.” “A lot of people don’t understand that those cows and unborn calves are what our businesses need to make money and bring in money in the future.”We wouldn’t get paid back for the lost calf, even if it was only one day away from being born.
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Ranchers like Cowden are also having a hard time with money because pasture land is being destroyed. He said that he had to move all of his cattle to other parts of Texas or even out of state because about 98% of his land was erased.
The Texas House Committee that looked into the fires says it will take between three and five years for the pastures to fully heal.