Associated Press' tracking of the 1988 drought relief package shows it did help those most in need. In North Dakota, the nation's most agriculturally dependent state, more that two-thirds producers shared $410.2 million. The state lost 49,000 of its 1988 spring wheat. The disaster payments reduced statewide losses by $1.2 billion. Other drought-ravaged states were Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Disaster aid and crop insurance put $500 million into Iowa's economy, staving off bankruptcies and other financial problems. A university survey reported drought aid added $15,000 to the average farmer's net cash income of $6,300. These states still need a good year to get back on their feet, and it was not 1989.
Associated Press' tracking of the 1988 drought relief package shows it did help those most in need. In North Dakota, the nation's most agriculturally dependent state, more that 49,000 producers shared $410.2 million. The state lost two-thirds of its 1988 spring wheat. The disaster payments reduced statewide losses by $1.2 billion. Other drought-ravaged states were Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Disaster aid and crop insurance put $500 million into Iowa's economy, staving off bankruptcies and other financial problems. A university survey reported drought aid added $15,000 to the average farmer's net cash income of $6,300. These states still need a good year to get back on their feet, and it was not 1989.