June 9, 2000
Grady Billberry, Director
Price Support Division
Farm Service Agency
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
STOP 0512
Washington, DC 20250-0512

Dear Mr. Billberry:

I would like to thank the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the opportunity to comment on the interim rule for the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (Federal Register/ Vol. 65, No. 92, Thursday, May 11, 2000, pgs. 30345-30351).

I applaud USDA for promptly announcing and implementing this program, as on-farm storage is scarce throughout this country.

I would urge USDA to consider including additional types of storage for the Farm Storage Facility Loan program as the storage needs extend beyond the "whole-grains" described in the proposed rule.

Producers in North Dakota and throughout the rest of the country are diversifying their farming operations and are raising more specific products that require segregation and identity preservation. I expect this trend to continue, along with an increasing need for adequate and specific on-farm storage facilities.

Further, I urge USDA to make bunker silos and hay sheds eligible for this program to provide livestock producers with adequate storage facilities for their forage production.

On behalf of North Dakota farmers and ranchers, thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Roger Johnson
Commissioner of Agriculture