07.18.14

Hoeven: USDA to Host Listening Sessions July 31 in Fargo

Senator Encourages Producers to Voice Concerns on Wetland Compliance Procedures

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today encouraged North Dakota producers to attend an upcoming listening session with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) State Conservationist Mary Podoll to share comments or concerns about the agency’s implementation of wetland compliance provisions. USDA will host a listening session July 31 from 10 am to noon at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.

“Our farmers and ranchers do a tremendous job and we need to do all that we can to support their hard work,” Hoeven said. “As USDA works to implement the farm bill, they need to hear directly from our producers to ensure that these programs work on the ground. USDA officials will be in Fargo later this month and I encourage our producers to make their voices heard.”

As a member of the Farm Bill conference committee as well as the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Hoeven served a key role in the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. Hoeven worked to prevent crop insurance from being tied to conservation compliance. While the bill ties conservation compliance to crop insurance, it does include the Hoeven proposal to make sure this new requirement is not retroactive, as well as language encouraging the Secretary of Agriculture to use acre-for-acre mitigation and funding to help farmers meet mitigation requirements.