What’s New:
This week, I sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging he provide support for Montana’s farmers who have been negatively impacted by excessive rainfall.
Why It Matters:
Over the past several weeks, northeast Montana has faced unusual and sustained high levels of precipitation which is why I urged Secretary Perdue to utilize all appropriate resources and flexibility to provide relief and disaster assistance to impacted farmers in a prompt manner.
What started with rain fall several weeks ago, has now turned into snow accumulation. All producers are going to be impacted, especially farmers who don’t have the financial backing to make it through a bad year. Coming off of 2-3 years of challenging weather, farmers who can usually weather the impact on crops for a year or two have their backs against the wall this time around. It’s disheartening to our farmers with the challenging season ahead.
What’s Next:
I will continue to urge Secretary Perdue to allow farmers in northeast Montana impacted by this rainfall to be eligible to participate in the Wildlife and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) program, and have the WHIP+ program account for price impacts due to severe quality loss from excessive moisture.
Best Wishes,
Steve Daines
United States Senate
