document: The Agriculture Department says it has been on top of the drought since March 1 , monitoring the situation , setting up hotlines to handle worried callers and issuing enough statements to paper a thousand bird cages , easy . One of the latest informational gimmicks is a `` USDA Backgrounder '' listing the department 's `` drought-related actions '' since the blotter-like furnaces began roaring across most of the nation . `` It was my idea , my memory is n't what it used to be , '' quipped Sally Michael , the department 's deputy director of information . `` This helps me keep track of what we 've done . '' Michael agreed during questioning by a reporter that the action list is lean on actual dollars going into the drought aid . Only two items had dollar amounts . One involved meat purchases for school cafeterias and the other a credit deal for the sale of meat to Mexico . The backgrounders will be updated every two weeks . The first lists 22 separate drought `` actions '' by USDA or its people , beginning more than four months ago . First item : `` March 1 . Secretary of Agriculture Richard E. Lyng establishes USDA Drought Task Force under the chairmanship of Deputy Secretary Peter C. Myers . Members _ agency administrators and key USDA personnel _ will constantly monitor the potential drought situation . '' The blurb also gave the number of the USDA press release that formally announced the task force creation , but not its date . In reality , though the drought panel was set up by Lyng on March 1 , the press release announcing the action was not issued until April 22 . Department officials questioned at the time said they attached no significance to keeping the task force secret for seven weeks before announcing it . Excerpts from other USDA actions cited by the report : _ May 31 . Counties found to be suffering from drought will be allowed emergency haying and grazing of Acreage Conservation Reserve -LRB- ACR -RRB- and Conservation Use Acreage -LRB- CUA -RRB- . At this time , haying and grazing do not apply to Conservation Reserve Program -LRB- CRP -RRB- acreage . _ June 9 . Standing hay on farms held in inventory -LRB- taken over -RRB- by the Farmers Home Administration can be sold at a reasonable cost to help feed livestock in drought counties where state offices of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service have authorized release of set-aside acres for haying and grazing . _ June 14 . Lyng briefs Senate and House Agriculture Committees on the drought and offers to cooperate with the Congressional Relief Task Force announced by Sen. Patrich Leahy , D-Vt. , and Rep. Kika de la Garza , D-Texas . _ June 15 . The White House announces a new Interagency Drought Policy Committee made up of USDA , Interior , the Office of the Vice President and several other agencies . Departments of State and Transportation , and the Council of Economic Advisers were subsequently added . _ June 16 . Lyng announces that farmers in designated drought counties will be authorized to harvest hay from land in the Conservation Reserve Program . Haying will be allowed for 30 days if farmers give up part of their CRP payments . Livestock grazing of CRP land was not authorized . _ June 20 . The Interagency Drought Policy Committee meets for the first time . _ June 20 . USDA begins making daily audio tapes of weather updates available to news media . _ June 21 . Lyng announces haying will be allowed on CRP land if a county has been approved for emergency haying and grazing of ACR and CUA land due to drought . _ June 22 . Lyng meets with the Congressional Drought Relief Task Force , which issues a `` statement of general agreements '' calling on the secretary to implement various forms of disaster assistance . _ June 23 . Lyng and other USDA officials meet in Chicago with the National Governors ' Association Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development . _ June 23 . While in Chicago , Lyng announces a toll-free hotline to answer questions about federal services available in drought areas . _ June 23 . Returning to Washington , Lyng briefs the president and vice president on the drought and says that there is agreement among congressmen , senators , farm groups and governors that it is too early for emergency relief measures . _ June 23 . After the White House meeting , the Interagency Drought Policy Committee meets for the second time at USDA . _ June 24 . In its first day of operation , USDA 's hotline logs more than 600 calls in 10 hours . Lyng orders another eight lines installed , raising total to 18 lines . Greatest number of calls the first day are from Iowa , Wisconsin and North Dakota . _ June 27 . USDA announces that special crop surveys in several states and other steps will be taken to update the department 's July 12 crop report and supply-and-demand projections for fall harvets , including corn and soybeans . _ June 27 . An additional $ 50 million has been set aside to buy bulk ground beef for donation to schools lunch and other feeding programs , to help cattle producers hurt by drought . _ June 27 . Lyng authorizes additional emergency provisions in drought counties , including permission for selling hay to anyone , and the harvest of ACR , CUA and CRP land as green chop for immediate feeding to livestock or silage . _ June 27 . Intragency Drought Policy Committee meets for the third time . _ June 28 . Federal and state officials set up a national hay information network , or HayNet , to assist in locating forage supplies . _ June 29 . Department will hold news conference July 12 following release of crop report and supply-demand projections . _ June 29 . Mexico can buy $ 40 million worth of meat under an amended credit arrangement . The purchases are intended to help bolster livestock markets depressed by drought liquidation of herds .
extractive_keyphrases: agriculture department action list drought aid meat purchases usda drought task force drought panel conservation reserve program congressional drought relief task force emergency relief measures
abstractive_keyphrases: drought-related actions