ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 17, 2009

PRODUCERS GET CHECKS FOR FEED TRANSPORTATION COSTS

BISMARCK – Nearly 300 North Dakota livestock producers will receive a total of $1 million in compensation for additional feed transportation costs and feed losses resulting from 2008-09 winter storms and subsequent flooding.

“The 2009 North Dakota Livestock Feed Transportation Program checks will be mailed out today,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said Friday. “Although this money does not fully compensate producers for the additional costs of feeding their animals, it will help them recover from their losses and rebuild their herds.”

Goehring said that 295 producers qualified for compensation, and that the largest amount paid out was $24,136.17. The payments averaged $20.15 per animal.

The program was underwritten by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant with additional funds from the 2009 North Dakota Legislature.

The losses had to have been incurred between Jan. 1 and May 31, 2009 and exceed 125 percent of the prior three-year average for additional feed transportation costs, contracted snow removal or flooded feed losses.

Compensated producers reported a total of $1,018,382 in transportation costs for purchased feed, compared to a three-year average of $165,368, and contracted snow removal costs of $228,848, compared to a three-year average of $9,834. Feed losses due to flooding totaled $784,982, more than seven times the three-year average of $110,996.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.