Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, this week secured a commitment from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to prioritize Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff and field offices to ensure frontline support for the nation’s farmers and ranchers. Additionally, the senator outlined the importance of the $33.5 billion in agriculture disaster aid he secured at the end of the year in providing farmers and ranchers with a bridge as Congress works to improve crop insurance and update reference prices in the next farm bill. Hoeven thanked Secretary Rollins for delivering the $10 billion in market-based agriculture disaster assistance, and continues working with the Secretary to advance the $21 billion in weather-related assistance. Secretary Rollins indicated that USDA’s application process for the weather-based ag aid will open in the coming weeks.
“We have to make sure we’re getting it done for our farmers and our ranchers every single day. We want to work together to find savings, but we have to know that we’re still going to deliver the service that keeps our family farms and ranches going, to the benefit of every single American,” said Hoeven. “We appreciate Secretary Rollins making it a priority to fully-staff and keep open FSA offices. These front-line FSA officers are the ones who work directly with our farmers and ranchers and help provide the service they deserve.
“We secured $33.5 billion to help our producers with challenges, whether it's markets, whether it's prices, and certainly always the weather – none of which they control. Secretary Rollins worked to get out the $10 billion in market-based disaster agriculture aid within 90 days, with North Dakota producers having already received about half a billion dollars from that tranche. We want to continue working together to implement the $21 billion weather-based assistance and we appreciate USDA’s commitment to begin that process in the coming weeks,” the senator said.