Peace Garden News

At the North Dakota Farm Bureau annual meeting, Senator John Hoeven outlined his agricultural priorities for the remainder of the 118th Congress and into the 119th Congress under the Trump administration. As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Hoeven emphasized several key initiatives aimed at supporting agriculture producers.

Hoeven's agenda includes passing a strong farm bill that invests in the farm safety net and securing disaster assistance for producers affected by wildfires in North Dakota. He also aims to reduce regulatory burdens on farmers and ranchers while protecting private property rights. Additionally, he supports advancing tax policies beneficial to farmers, ranchers, and agri-businesses. These policies include maintaining competitive tax rates, supporting Section 199A for cooperatives and pass-through businesses, preserving stepped-up basis for assets, eliminating the death tax, and allowing bonus depreciation for qualified property like farm equipment.

"As economic conditions in farm country continue to worsen," said Hoeven, "the need to invest in the tools our farmers and ranchers count on is more urgent than ever." He advocates for passing a one-year extension of the current farm bill along with disaster assistance to help those impacted by wildfires. Hoeven stresses that it is essential to provide stability and predictability to producers amid low commodity prices, high input costs, and elevated interest rates.

Looking ahead to future legislation, Hoeven is focused on securing an extension of the farm bill as part of year-end efforts. This would allow more time to address critical priorities such as enhancing crop insurance affordability through his FARMER Act and improving counter-cyclical safety nets like Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). He emphasizes that reference prices should reflect current market realities.

Hoeven also seeks adequate access to credit by modernizing Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan limits within the Farm Bill. Strengthening livestock disaster programs remains a priority with proposed legislation aimed at aligning coverage between existing programs like LFP and ELAP while making improvements permanent.

Hoeven concludes by advocating for voluntary farmer-friendly programs rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.