93 



perennial crops, the investments (plant purchases, field 

 preparation and planting, and time waiting for harvest) may be 

 insurmountable for growers . 



We ask that assistance be given to replace or replant all dead or 

 significantly damaged perennials. 



ISSUE 6: Any tree that was planted prior to 1992 is ineligible 

 for assistance under TAP. TAF is set up so that Christmas tree 

 growers may receive assistance to help defray the costs of 

 replanting seedlings that were planted in 1992 and 1993 and were 

 lost due to the disaster. We have not yet received a ruling from 

 the Iowa ASCS on whether Christmas trees that are scheduled for 

 harvest this year, but destroyed, will be eligible under the crop 

 loss provision. It takes an average of seven or eight years to 

 produce a pine for a Christmas tree. Seven years of investment 

 for which the first two and perhaps the last year are eligible 

 for disaster assistance. If a tree is in its fifth year in the 

 field and destroyed, it will take the grower at least five years 

 to get the tree back to its present size and at least seven years 

 before the grower will receive any income from the tree. 



It is regressive to assist a grower with a relatively small 

 investment of one or two years and ignore those growers who have 

 a much larger investment. The message that the growers receive 

 is that the smaller the loss, the greater the assistance. 



Accordingly, we ask that replacement assistance be provided on 

 all trees regardless of age. 



ISSUE 7: Nursery trees do not qualify under TAP. Nursery 

 producers who suffered damage from Hurricane Andrew received 

 assistance under TAP provisions. This same coverage is not 

 afforded to producers of nursery stock in the Midwest who were 

 devastated by the flooding. Yet, we face the same situation with 

 losses due to a natural disaster. Our trees are just as dead and 

 our lost income is just as tragic to us. 



Given this fact, we ask that all disasters be treated equally and 

 that nursery trees lost through natural disasters be eligible for 

 coverage under for TAP, as well as crop loss. 



In closing, I would like to relate to you the story of one Iowa 

 horticultural grower. I have attached pictures of this grower's 

 business. He had thirty acres of specimen trees under water, 

 which on some days was fifteen feet deep. These trees ranged 

 from one and a half to six inch trunk diameter. Some of the 

 trees had been in the field for ten to twelve years. Many of the 

 trees died right away and some were even snapped off by floating 

 barrels and debris. However, some appear to have a little life. 



