U.S. Senators Klobuchar and Smith Encourage Minnesota Farmers Facing Losses from Severe Weather to Apply for Disaster Assistance by October 30 Deadline

Press Release

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Minnesota farmers hit by severe weather to submit applications for disaster recovery assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) by the Friday, Oct. 30 deadline. The WHIP+ program compensates producers for losses due to severe weather in 2018 and 2019, including floods, snowstorms, tornadoes and drought.

In 2019, Sens. Klobuchar and Smith led the Minnesota delegation in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide federal assistance to Minnesota farmers overwhelmed by significant wet weather during harvest. Flooded fields created unworkable field conditions for many producers. Harvest for sugarbeets, corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes and other crops slowed or stopped altogether.

"Bad weather and flooding made last fall a particularly challenging harvest for our state's farmers, killing crops, diminishing yields, and causing uncertainty for Minnesota's rural communities," said Sen. Klobuchar. "In these times of uncertainty and overwhelming challenges for the rural areas of our country, we must provide meaningful relief for the farms and rural communities that sustain us every day. I encourage eligible farmers to signup."

"Farmers already faced enough uncertainty even before factoring in the pandemic and difficult weather conditions. Severe rainfall and flooding in recent years created additional harvest challenges for many Minnesota farmers," said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "I urged Secretary Perdue to declare a disaster designation for areas suffering from those weather events. I encourage folks to apply for assistance before the upcoming deadline."

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