North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne is pushing for a strong farm bill that protects key safety net programs. Watne warns that cuts to programs like SNAP and crop insurance could stall progress, making it harder for farmers to stay afloat. “We need to enhance the ARC payments and the PLC payments. We need to raise our reference prices. Most of us here support maintaining a pretty strong SNAP program. That’s key to getting this thing passed.” Watne is also worried about trade policy and its impact on North Dakota farmers, who depend on exports. He argues that past tariff disputes have caused lasting harm and warns that new trade wars could make things worse. “In North Dakota, we’re actually hit the hardest of all the states because we export so much of our crops. Those countries that we start a war with go elsewhere and start building partnerships with other suppliers.”
