Hoeven, Rollins Meet with North Dakota Producers, Outline Farm Bill & Disaster Assistance Efforts

Hoeven, Rollins Meet with North Dakota Producers, Outline Farm Bill & Disaster Assistance Efforts

Senator Invited Ag Secretary to Visit State, Giving Producers Opportunity for Direct Feedback & Showcasing ND Leadership in Precision Ag at Grand Farm

FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today organized meetings with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in North Dakota, giving farmers, ranchers, agriculture researchers and agri-businesses the opportunity to:

• Give direct feedback as:
  • Work proceeds on the next farm bill. Hoeven stressed the importance of keeping the farm in the farm bill and outlined efforts to invest in the farm safety net.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues accepting applications for and distributing the $10 billion in market-based disaster assistance that Hoeven worked to secure in year-end legislation.
    • To date, more than $5.8 billion in assistance has been sent out, with nearly $480 million of that going to producers in North Dakota.
    • In addition, USDA today released $6 million in disaster relief for rural electric infrastructure damaged by storms and wildfires in North Dakota, which comes from the overall disaster funding Hoeven secured in December.
• Showcase North Dakota's leadership in precision ag technologies and secure support for local initiatives like Grand Farm.
  • Hoeven has secured $6 million between Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2025 to establish and support the AgTech Cooperative Agreement between North Dakota State University (NDSU), Grand Farm and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Hoeven, who serves as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, invited Rollins to visit the state during her recent confirmation process.

"North Dakota is an ag powerhouse today, and we're making sure that, through innovation and good farm policy, our leadership in this vital sector continues to grow," said Senator Hoeven. "I appreciate Secretary Rollins for accepting my invite to meet with our state's farmers and ranchers right here in North Dakota and learn more about our region's specific needs and priorities. Farming isn't a monolith. If we want to keep our network of small family farms, we have to ensure the farm safety net actually works when it is needed most and in the wide variety of circumstances our producers face. At the same time, we are supporting our innovators through institutions like NDSU and Grand Farm in bringing new technologies to market that will help producers reduce their costs, stay competitive and continue providing the low-cost, high-quality food supply that all of America relies on every single day."

Strengthening the Farm Safety Net

Hoeven continues working to pass a farm bill that addresses producers' needs and ensures the farm safety net works when needed most. These priorities include:

• Enhancing crop insurance, the primary risk management tool for many producers.
  • Improving the affordability of higher levels of coverage, consistent with Hoeven's FARMER Act, will better enable producers to weather natural disasters and reduce the need for future ad-hoc disaster assistance.
• Improving the counter-cyclical safety net, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
• Securing adequate access to credit by including his legislation to modernize Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan limits as part of the farm bill.
• Strengthening livestock disaster programs, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP).
• Ensuring support for U.S. sugar policy.
• Making programs voluntary and farmer-friendly, instead of one-size-fits-all.

Helping Producers Recover from Disasters

Last month, USDA released details for the $10 billion in market-based assistance, following Hoeven's efforts to secure the funding and his work with Secretary Rollins to implement and quickly deliver the assistance. At the same time, Hoeven continues working with USDA to advance the $21 billion in weather-related assistance for losses in 2023 and 2024, which includes $2 billion set aside for livestock producers, including those with losses due to wildfires.

Applications for market-based assistance may be submitted online or to local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. Additional information and resources are available to producers on USDA's website here: https://fsa.usda.gov/ecap.

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