Hoeven Outlines His Farm Bill Water Retention, Flood Protection Priorities

Posted By: i3gradiopushbin
February 22, 2023 @ 10:45 am
Ag Central News, Inside Ag Newsletter Feed, Uncategorized

(NewsDakota.com/NorthDakotaAgConnection.com) – Senator John Hoeven Tuesday convened a virtual meeting with the Red River Retention Authority (RRRA) Board of Directors to discuss priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill, including programs the RRRA utilizes to support water management and flood protection efforts in the region. In particular, Hoeven outlined his efforts as the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee to:

– Prioritize programs that support locally-led projects and leverage federal dollars with local investment to make the most cost-effective use of taxpayer dollars. This includes:

– The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which was first authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill.

– The Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program (WFPO), which provides technical and financial assistance to state and local governments to address erosion, flooding and sediment issues.

– Both of these programs support comprehensive flood retention efforts in the Red River Valley.

– Ensure conservation programs are voluntary and farmer-friendly. “The Farm Bill plays an important role in supporting local leaders, like the RRRA, in managing their water resources and protecting their communities against the risk of flooding,” said Hoeven. “Importantly, we have prioritized voluntary programs that take a bottom-up approach to managing our land and water, while also supporting comprehensive flood retention efforts in the Red River Valley. We will continue to advance this farmer-friendly approach as we write the next farm bill.”

In addition, Hoeven is working to advance the following priorities in the next farm bill:

– Maintaining crop insurance, the primary risk management tool for many producers.

– Improving the farm safety net, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.

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