Letter to the Hon. Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture - Perdue Grants Emergency Grazing

Letter

Dear Secretary Perdue:

I write to request that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide additional emergency relief to farmers and ranchers across eastern Montana that are currently suffering from severe drought conditions by immediately authorizing haying on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. While I appreciate USDA's decision to allow impacted producers to utilize CRP acreage for grazing, the ongoing conditions on the ground in eastern Montana warrant additional relief.

As you know, counties and American Indian reservations across much of eastern Montana are experiencing record low levels of precipitation and high temperatures, which have had substantial impacts on the harvests to date for farmers and ranchers in the region. Providing sufficient and appropriate emergency relief is imperative as operations in the region are struggling in light of these severe conditions.

I urge you to grant additional emergency relief to producers across Montana and the Northern Plains by authorizing haying on CRP acreage impacted by the ongoing drought. Thank you for your consideration and the actions USDA has taken thus far, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to assist Montana farmers and ranchers on this and other critical issues.

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