SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE MIKE JOHANNS

Mike Johanns was sworn in as the 28th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 21, 2005.

Secretary Johanns' strong agricultural roots stretch back to his childhood. He was born in Iowa and grew up doing chores on his family's dairy farm. As the son of a dairy farmer, he developed a deep respect for the land and the people who work it. He still describes himself as "a farmer's son with an intense passion for agriculture."

That passion showed during Johanns' tenure as Nebraska's 38th governor. During his six years in office, Johanns was a strong advocate for rural communities and farmers and ranchers. He enacted a Value-Added Agriculture Initiative, signed into law the "Agricultural Opportunities and Value-Added Partnership Act," supported the development of a hydroponic produce facility, and signed legislation that focused financial resources on providing transferable, non-refundable gas tax credits for the production of ethanol. He also led eight delegations of Nebraska government, business, and agriculture leaders on trade missions to foreign countries including Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil and Chile.

Johanns served as chairman of the Governors' Biotechnology Partnership and as the state government representative on the advisory committee to the Export-Import Bank of the United States. As a member of both the National Governors' Association and the Western Governors' Association, Johanns concentrated on issues important to agriculture, including drought relief, ethanol, and the 2002 Farm Bill.

Secretary Johanns is a graduate of St. Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona. He earned a law degree from Creighton University in Omaha and practiced law in O'Neill and Lincoln, Nebraska. Johanns served on the Lancaster County Board from 1983-1987, and on the Lincoln City Council 1989-1991. He was elected mayor of Lincoln in 1991. He was reelected in 1995, and successfully ran for governor three years later.

Secretary Johanns is married to Stephanie Johanns, a former Lancaster County Commissioner and State Senator. The couple has two children.

SOURCE: USDA

Indiana disaster Federal aid

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Indiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms and flooding beginning on January 1, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Floyd, Fountain, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wells, and White.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-share basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named Ron Sherman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

The Agency said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are completed.

The Agency said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.

For Immediate Release OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY January 21, 2005 Statement by the Press Secretary STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY