Hoeven Holds Crop Insurance Roundtable With RMA Administrator, Working to Improve Farm Safety Net

FARGO, North Dakota, Aug. 9 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on Aug. 8, 2023:

Senator John Hoeven, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today held a roundtable with Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator Marcia Bunger, agriculture commodity groups, agriculture lenders and crop insurance agents to gather feedback on priorities for the upcoming farm bill. In particular, the senator outlined efforts to:

* Maintain and strengthen crop insurance, the primary risk management tool for many producers.

- Hoeven stressed that by allowing farmers to select a higher level of coverage, particularly in the northern plains, producers will be better able to weather natural disasters.

* Improve risk management tools available to livestock producers, such as Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), to expand adoption by ranchers.

"As we craft the next farm bill, we are working to maintain, improve and fully fund important risk management tools so America's farmers and ranchers can weather difficult times and succeed in the global marketplace," said Hoeven. "Crop insurance is the heart of the farm safety net. That's why we've worked to protect this important tool against efforts to undermine this program and prevent unnecessary cuts, while giving producers more coverage options that better fit their operations. At the same time, we need to do more to help livestock producers manage their risk and ensure the tools available actually work for our ranchers."

The meeting comes as part of Hoeven's continued efforts to provide North Dakota farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to give direct feedback and ensure U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs work for producers. In addition to improving the farm safety net, the senator is working to:

* Update and improve the counter-cyclical safety net, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.

* Ensure support for U.S. sugar policy.

* Improve transparency and competition in cattle markets.

* Enhance livestock disaster programs, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP).

* Make sure programs are voluntary and farmer-friendly, instead of one-size-fits-all, to reduce the regulatory burden on producers.

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Original text here: https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-holds-crop-insurance-roundtable-with-rma-administrator-working-to-improve-farm-safety-net