WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a member of the Agriculture Committee, today announced that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue has approved his request, made with a bipartisan group of senators led by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), for USDA to provide immediate Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) assistance to agriculture producers. Severe weather events this year in the Plains, Rocky Mountains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes regions have led to devastating livestock losses.

Per the senators’ request, USDA will also delegate LIP approval to Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees. These county offices are the most familiar with local weather and disaster events as well as the livestock management practices of area farmers and ranchers.

“We appreciate Secretary Perdue promptly approving our request to provide this assistance to help ranchers recover from devastating losses and extreme weather events,” Hoeven said. “Delegating payment approval to FSA County Committees will also help speed up the process so producers can get their operations back up and running as soon as possible.”

Other senators joining Hoeven and Thune in making this bipartisan request to Secretary Perdue were Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Story attributed to news release from Senator John Hoeven