News Releases for July 2004
July 19, 2004
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Hoeven Announces Opening Of CRP For Haying
USDA Opens Acres In 11 Disaster Declared Counties
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to haying in 11 counties effective Monday, July 19. Today’s announcement follows, most recently, a letter Hoeven sent last week to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, pressing for an early opening of CRP lands for haying. The affected counties are Bowman, Adams, Slope, Golden Valley, Billings, Dunn, Mercer, Stark, Hettinger, Grant and Sioux.
“After repeated contacts with the USDA, we have persuaded the authorities to open the affected counties to haying as well as grazing, but they still need to open non-emergency declared counties to adequately meet the needs of our producers in the dry areas,” Hoeven said. “The earlier opening of CRP for haying in the 11 counties means that some producers will be able to salvage the feed value of that hay, but others will still need additional assistance and access for adequate forage.”
Hoeven is also calling on Veneman to support passage of a disaster bill that would provide additional support payments under the farm bill to producers in distressed counties throughout the state before the end of the year. The Governor will be in Washington, D.C. later this week to meet with USDA officials on this and other issues centered on disaster relief for North Dakota farmers and ranchers.
Last month, Hoeven issued a statewide agricultural emergency declaration in response to drought conditions in the southwest and excessive precipitation in the northeast and north central parts of the state.
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