Hoeven Headed To D.C. This Week On Behalf Of Farmers And Ranchers

Hoeven Headed To D.C. This Week On Behalf Of Farmers And Ranchers

Governor To Testify for Improved Crop Insurance, Lobby for Disaster Aid

Gov. John Hoeven will travel to Washington, D.C. this week to testify for improved crop insurance in the upcoming renewal of the federal Farm Bill. Together with representatives of North Dakota farm organizations, he will also lobby Congress on behalf of farmers and ranchers for a disaster assistance package.

The Governor will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives' Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Tuesday, pressing for a risk management title in the upcoming renewal of the federal farm bill, as well as timely disaster assistance for North Dakota farmers and ranchers suffering crop losses or diminished quality due to weather. Later in the day, he'll meet with Rep. Jerry Moran of Kansas, chairman of the subcommittee.

Also on Tuesday, he'll meet with Agriculture Sec. Mike Johanns to push for a disaster aid package to assist farmers affected by flooding and drought in North Dakota.

"Farmers need to be able to insure for and manage the tremendous risk that they undertake every time they put a crop in the ground," Hoeven said. "We are going to Washington to address not only the need for current disaster relief, but also the need for adequate crop insurance measures in the upcoming renewal of the farm bill."

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http://www.governor.state.nd.us/media/news-releases/2006/04/060424a.html