U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) on April 27 brought together his home state producers and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at a meeting in Harwood, N.D. to discuss pro-farmer federal policies.
“This visit is all about ensuring North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers have their voices heard,” said Sen. Hoeven, chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, last week.
Sen. Hoeven brought Secretary Perdue to North Dakota to meet with producers facing myriad challenges, such as low commodity prices, retaliatory tariffs and natural disasters. Attendees also included North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, and North Dakota Farm Service Agency Director Brad Thykeson, among others.
“Times are tough in farm country and it’s vital that Secretary Perdue receives this input firsthand and brings it back to the administration,” Sen. Hoeven said.
Sen. Hoeven told attendees that he has urged the Trump administration to advance the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as well as trade negotiations with China and Japan.
For instance, Sen. Hoeven has pressed the administration to eliminate Canada’s downgrade of U.S. wheat to feed grade, lift the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico, address China’s unfair trade practices, and to provide farmers and ranchers with improved access to Chinese markets.
“We continue working to ensure that the administration advances trade agreements across the finish line, provides more commodity purchases and implements the farm bill to best serve our producers, which includes providing enough credit to keep their operations going when revenues are low,” the senator said.
Last week during the meeting, Sen. Hoeven also outlined his efforts to ensure agricultural producers receive necessary access to capital for funding their operations around the state.