S.C. Governor Vetoes Farm Funding Bill, House & Senate Override

South Carolina House members voted 112-2 on Tuesday to override a veto from Republican Gov. Nikki Haley that stopped flood relief funding for farmers. Late Wedensday afternoon the Senate also voted to override the veto by a vote of 39-3.

Haley vetoed the legislation because she said farmers shouldn’t be treated differently than other flood-impacted businesses in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Farm Aid Fund will provide the state’s farmers with $40 million in aid. Farmers would be able to apply for grants of up to $100,000. The grants could equal 20 percent of a farmer’s total loss. To qualify, farmers would have to prove they sustained a 40 percent loss and could only use the funds on crop inputs such as seeds and fertilizer.

The funds are meant to provide a revenue bridge so farmers can plant and not be forced to sell their farms.

Historic torrential rains dropped two feet of water in South Carolina in October. The flooding wiped out $330 million in crops at harvest. Farmers lost an additional $45 million because they couldn’t plant winter crops in bogs, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Sources: The Times and Democrat, Fox 46 S