(NewsDakota.com/NDAgConnection.com) – At the North Dakota Grain Dealers Association’s annual convention Monday, Senator John Hoeven outlined his efforts to maintain strong farm policy to benefit both agriculture producers and American consumers. To this end, Hoeven is working as the lead Republican on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee to:

– Ensure North Dakota farmers and ranchers have the opportunity to give direct input as work begins on the next farm bill.

– Address supply chain constraints to ensure access to reliable transportation services, including rail and ocean carriers.

“This year, Congress will begin writing a new Farm Bill, and we’re working to ensure North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers have a voice in that process, resulting in strong farm policy that our producers can rely upon,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, producers need to be able to get their products to market. The delays we’ve experienced in both rail and ocean carrier service represented a real challenge for our farmers and agri-businesses. That’s why we sponsored and passed our Ocean Shipping Reform Act to help this nation’s exporters, while also pressing the Surface Transportation Board and railways to ensure reliable rail service continues for North Dakota’s shippers.”

Hoeven recently hosted Senator John Boozman, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, in North Dakota for a discussion with local producers and commodity groups on the following priorities for the next farm bill:

– Maintaining strong 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).

– Cutting red-tape and ensuring programs are farmer-friendly.

At the same time, Hoeven is advancing efforts to ensure North Dakota shippers, including farmers and ranchers, have access to reliable rail and ocean shipping services. The senator sponsored the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, bipartisan legislation signed into law in June to update federal regulations for the global shipping industry and help American producers export their products.

Hoeven has also been pressing both the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and rail companies to resolve ongoing rail service disruptions. Earlier this year, Hoeven held meetings with STB Vice Chairman Robert Primus, STB Member Patrick Fuchs and BNSF CEO Katie Farmer to review the public accountability requirements the STB has placed on Class I railroads and discuss progress toward preserving reliable rail service in North Dakota.