Sen. John Hoeven
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) on April 1 helped mark the grand opening of the Columbia Grain Pulse Processing Plant in Valley City, N.D., and pressed for more federal farm aid.
“This pulse processing plant is an exciting opportunity for North Dakota farmers, giving them a convenient, local market for the high-quality crops they produce,” Sen. Hoeven said. “By expanding domestic demand for U.S.-produced ag commodities, we can make the farm economy more resilient against challenging international market conditions, like our farmers are facing right now.”
The 11,000 sq. ft. facility has the capacity to process 40,000 tons of pulse crops per year, including dry edible beans, peas, and lentils. The senator stressed that value-added investments like this new facility reinforce the state’s role as a leader in pulse production, as North Dakota is the nation’s top producer of dry edible beans, with the state’s farmers having grown 423,247 metric tons of the commodity in 2025. The state is also a leading producer of dry peas and lentils.
“We continue working to get our ag producers through this tough stretch until the enhanced farm safety net provisions we passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill come into full effect in October,” added Sen. Hoeven. “President Trump is a vital ally in this effort, and we appreciate his support for moving the assistance package that I’m working to craft with Senate Ag Committee Chairman Boozman.”
Specifically, Sen. Hoeven is working with U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) to expand the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) to cover a greater share of producer losses; include acres that were prevented from being planted as eligible under FBA; expand support for specialty crops and sugar producers; and increase farm ownership and operating loan limits, according to his staff.
During the event, Sen. Hoeven also discussed his efforts to secure additional farm assistance, having worked to secure Trump’s support for the effort. The president on March 27 called for farm aid to be passed as part of a future funding package during the Great American Agriculture Celebration at the White House, which Sen. Hoeven also attended.