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U.S. Senate Approves $10 Billion in Disaster Assistance

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The U.S. Senate has approved $10 billion in disaster assistance. Specifically, it includes $9.25 billion in aid for farmers who suffered losses due to drought, floods and other qualifying disasters. The funding will extend WHIP= to cover losses in calendar years 2020 and 2021. Read more.

North Dakota Exploring Options to Assist Farmers

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The North Dakota Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to report crop losses or any other damage associated with the wet fall and recent blizzard to county-based NDSU Extension agents. That information will be shared to help the state prepare a Secretarial disaster declaration. A Presidential disaster declaration will also likely be sought. Once submitted, it will take several weeks for disaster declaration these approvals.
 
Additionally, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will be in Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown and Fessenden on Monday, October 21. The team will visit these flood-affected areas to look at damage and losses for federal disaster requests, as well as visit with farmers, ranchers and officials. Get the full schedule.

Ag Groups Push for “Appropriate Disaster Assistance

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A letter has been sent to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue seeking “the fullest appropriate disaster assistance” under the WHIP+ program and other USDA programs. This letter was signed by groups representing farmers in the Northern Tier states, including soybeans, wheat, barley, sunflowers, canola, dry beans, pulse crops and the National Farmers Union. Extreme moisture has resulted in quality losses, such as low falling numbers, sprout damage and mold. The WHIP+ regulations now exclude quality losses for everything but wine grapes. The farm groups said that puts grain producers in the Northern Plains at serious disadvantage.

Read the Letter