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Cotton chair: disaster assistance attached to jobs bill

The chair of the National Cotton Council says disaster assistance for farmers will be included in the new jobs creation bill in Congress.

Eddie Smith says little is known about the proposal, but speculates it could look much like earlier offerings—most likely tied to a disaster declaration by the Secretary of Agriculture, with producers receiving a payment similar to a direct payment.  They would have to prove an economic loss of five percent for at least one crop of economic significance.

As for the one-dollar a gallon biodiesel tax incentive—that extension apparently remains unresolved.  Supporters say the incentive is crucial to the survival of the biodiesel industry.