Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) met with the Northern Plains Potato Growers this week to discuss federal assistance for farmers and ranchers while the Trump Administration works to resolve trade negotiations with Canada.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently provided $44.5 million in aid for potato growers under the food purchase and distribution program.
“Unfair treatment from our trading partners is exactly what we are trying to resolve through these trade negotiations,” Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, said. “The meetings we arranged allowed potato growers from our state to inform the administration firsthand on the issues with Canadian imports they are trying to overcome. We will continue working on their behalf to ensure our producers have a level playing field in the global marketplace. In the meantime, we continue working to pass a strong farm bill as soon as possible, and the administration has begun rolling out the first half of its trade assistance to help farmers recover from retaliatory tariffs.”
Earlier this week, the USDA began implementing its trade assistance program for agriculture producers. The program will make producers eligible to receive payments up to $125,000 aggregate. Producers can sign up and learn more at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Surplus commodities, including edible beans, potatoes and pulse crops, will be purchased for distribution to food programs and food banks. Additionally, the program will work with the private sector to develop new trade markets.