Opinion ID: 184714
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appellant's DAP Claim

Text: 9 Appellant farmed wheat grass in New Mexico from 1986 to 1989. When wheat grass farmers in that region experienced severe droughts in 1988 and 1989, Congress activated the DAP to provide relief for those farmers. The USDA established wheat grass yields and payment rates to calculate the disaster payments for wheat grass farmers in New Mexico. Appellant applied for disaster relief and was awarded payments based on those yields and rates. 10 Appellant contends, however, that the selected yields and rates were too low, precluding the CCC from realistically approximating the value of the crops destroyed by the droughts. Specifically, appellant challenges the yield selected because the USDA relied upon data that was admittedly seventeen to thirty-one years old, see Appendix for Appellant (A.A.) 73, and failed to use data from Colorado farms that arguably would have better reflected appellant's crop growth potential, see id. at 39. Appellant also challenges the payment rate selected, primarily on the basis of affidavits from other farming enterprises, which suggest that the USDA's rate was lower than rates that were used elsewhere. See, e.g., id. at 79. 11 Appellee responds that the use of the disputed data was necessary and reasonable given the fact that wheat grass was not a common crop in New Mexico and no better data was readily available. Brief for Appellee at 25. Indeed, appellant points to no other data for New Mexico. Furthermore, according to appellee, it was proper for the USDA to use the New Mexico data, as opposed to data collected in Colorado, because appellant's farm is, in fact, in New Mexico. As for the rate selected, appellee maintains that as long as the rate selected is reasonable, appellant may not complain merely because there are other rates which also may be reasonable. Id. at 31.