Updates In Ag

Everyone in every corner of the economy is feeling the pain of this Administration's inflation crisis, especially our ag workers. Last month, fertilizer reached the highest prices ever recorded. With the ongoing war in Ukraine we need to brace ourselves for this to get worse. The agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy and it needs our support. Last week, I sent a letter to President Biden urging him to review all available options to lower the cost of fertilizer, including eliminating cross-border vaccine mandates, ensuring agricultural minerals like phosphate and potash are part of DOI's crucial mission, and increasing U.S. gas production.

You can read the full letter here.

Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act

Police departments across the country are experiencing a serious shortage of qualified officers, which is adding to a drastic increase in crime. We need to invest in recruiting a number of well-trained and highly educated police officers to help keep our communities safe.

For that reason, I introduced the Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act. This legislation would provide education grants to students who are pursuing their first degree in law enforcement or criminal justice-related field. As a requirement of receiving the grant, the applicant must commit to serving as a full-time law enforcement officer for four years within an eight year period of completing their studies.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

SHIP IT Act

The supply chain crisis is far from over. As inflation continues to reach record levels and backlogs at ports and in the freight industry have continued to increase with no end in sight, Congress has the opportunity to ease regulatory burdens so Americans can sort out the supply chain crisis without government interference. That is why I introduced the SHIP IT Act, which builds on the STOP the GRINCH Act I introduced last fall to ease supply-chain tensions, targeting specific needs in ports, shipping, and trucking.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

Tips for Tax Filing Season

Tax Day has been extended until April 18th! The Internal Revenue Service shared this information to remind us all about several key items to keep in mind when filing federal income tax returns this year. I hope you find this helpful! 

Congressional Art Competition

High school students are invited to participate in the annual Congressional Art Challenge! The competition is open to all public, private, charter, and home school students grades 9-12. Winning submissions from each congressional district will be displayed for one year in a tunnel to the U.S. Capitol, where it will be viewed by thousands of visitors, tourists, and Members of Congress.

The deadline for submission is Monday, May 2, 2022. For more information, please visit my website. Good luck! 

National USDA Programs

The USDA provides a list of programs, along with their deadlines if applicable. While this list is helpful, it does not include every deadline. Please check with your local USDA Service Center to learn about all available programs, and programs that have local or state level deadlines.

Upcoming National Deadlines:

Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program 

Did you raise hogs that were sold through a spot market sale? You may be eligible for assistance for hogs sold through a spot market sale from April 16, 2020, through September 1, 2020, through USDA’s Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP). This new program is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022

Second Disaster Set-Aside for Farm Loans
USDA borrowers can use the Disaster Set-Aside (DSA) loan provision to set aside their next payment. Normally used in the wake of natural disasters, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) expanded the provision to cover borrowers impacted by the pandemic. FSA is allowing producers to request a second DSA for COVID-19 and a second DSA for natural disaster for those who had an initial COVID-19 DSA.
Deadline: May 1, 2022

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) - Grassland Signup
Grassland CRP is a working lands program, helping landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland and certain other lands, while maintaining the areas as working grazing lands. Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply.
Signup: April 2, 2022 - Mary 13, 2022

Social Security Administration Reopening Most Offices to Public

On April 7, the Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed in-office services by both walk-in and appointment for the first time since March 2020 and about 98% of its more than 1,200 field offices.

The SSA strongly encourages the public to schedule an appointment before heading to an office. Walk-in visitors are warned to expect delays, large crowds, and long waits.

Scheduling an Appointment
You can schedule or modify an appointment by calling the SSA’s National 800 number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) between 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or by contacting their local field office using the SSA’s online field office locator application. 

Additional Information
Additional, up to date information on the SSA’s reopening and how the public can get help from Social Security, is available here. 

Minnesota Rural Water Association came to the Hill to review their 2021 accomplishments and discuss their programming that helps provide clean drinking water and safe wastewater removal for millions of Minnesotans.

I met with the St. Paul District Corps of Engineers to discuss their current programs, projects we can work together on, and drought policy.

The Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative to discuss issues in the sugar beet industry. Annually, members of this cooperative grow approximately three million tons of sugarbeets, producing up to 1 billion pounds of pure white sugar.

The Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America (TCCNA) came to discuss strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations to deter China's expansion and threats to regional peace.

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association represents Minnesota's 24,000 corn farmers. I was glad to see them in my office to discuss rising prices for ag input costs, biofuels and the Farm Bill.

Thanks for reading!

fischbach.house.gov

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