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For Ranchers Who Lost Cattle In Blizzard, Help Is Not On The Way

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An early blizzard in October killed thousands of cattle in Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. It came at a bad time because the government program that provides disaster relief is ineffective until Congress passes a new farm bill. (Grant Gerlock/Harvest Public Media)
An early blizzard in October killed thousands of cattle in Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. It came at a bad time because the government program that provides disaster relief is ineffective until Congress passes a new farm bill. (Grant Gerlock/Harvest Public Media)

For the past year, we’ve been hearing that farmers and ranchers rely on the farm bill, but it’s sometimes hard to see how policy decisions in Washington trickle down to farm country.

Ranchers in Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota now know all too well.

Thousands of cattle suffocated or froze to death in a surprise blizzard last month, crippling ranches across the plains. But because the farm bill expired, help isn’t on the way.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Grant Gerlock of Harvest Public Media reports.

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This segment aired on November 13, 2013.

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