U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide emergency aid to Janesville-based MacFarlane Pheasants to help in the recovery efforts from the June tornado.
In June, the pheasant farm in Janesville, which is the largest pheasant producer in the country, lost over 50,000 birds due to the EF-2 twister. In addition to the loss of poultry, the tornado caused substantial damage to the farm, including the destruction of pens, fencing, and other farm infrastructure necessary to support the flock. The total damage was over $2 million.
Baldwin says MacFarlane sought Livestock Indemnity Program assistance from USDA, but was ultimately denied coverage because it is a gamebird operation.
In a letter Wednesday, which was also signed by U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, Sen. Baldwin called on the USDA to reconsider its decision to deny assistance to gamebird farmers under this program and ensure that these farmers have the resources they need to recover from severe weather disasters.
