12.16.23

Hoeven Working to Keep The Farm in the Farm Bill, Outlines Key Agriculture Priorities at Farmers Union Annual Meeting

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today addressed the North Dakota Farmers Union annual meeting, where he outlined key priorities that he is working to include in the next Farm Bill. As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has been gathering input from North Dakota producers and working to secure enhancements for the nation’s farm policy, including:

  • Maintaining and strengthening crop insurance, the primary risk management tool for many producers.
    • Improving the affordability of higher levels of coverage will better enable producers to weather natural disasters and reduce the need for ad-hoc disaster assistance.
  • Ensuring adequate access to credit by passing his legislation to modernize Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan limits as part of the Farm Bill.
  • Updating and improving the counter-cyclical safety net, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
  • Strengthening livestock disaster programs, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP).
    • Hoeven is sponsoring legislation, which he is working to include in the Farm Bill, to better align coverage between LFP and ELAP and make these improvements permanent.
  • Make sure programs are voluntary and farmer-friendly, instead of one-size-fits-all, to reduce the regulatory burden on producers.

“As we continue to negotiate our nation’s agriculture policy, my top priority is keeping the farm in the Farm Bill,” said Hoeven. “In the meantime, we’ve provided stability and predictability for our producers by passing a year-long extension of the current Farm Bill. That gives us time to ensure we pass the strongest bill possible, making needed improvements to crop insurance, the counter-cyclical safety net, loan programs and livestock disaster assistance programs, among other priorities. The feedback we receive from local groups, like Farmers Union, are an important part of these efforts, and we appreciate their members’ hard work every day to continue providing the lowest-cost, highest-quality food supply in the world.”

Today’s meeting comes as part of Hoeven’s ongoing efforts to provide North Dakota farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to give direct feedback as work continues on the next farm bill. To this end, the senator continues to meet with local producers and has organized meetings between North Dakotans and key officials in recent months, including:

  • Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman.
  • FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.
  • Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator Marcia Bunger.
  • U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Deputy Chief Chris French.

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