North Dakota Senator John Hoeven wants to give more pandemic relief to farmers. He says those losses due to the coronavirus need to be covered at a higher level than the agriculture department is currently planning. North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne says COVID 19’s impacts are adding to the financial stress farmers are already under and keep increasing every day.

He says Hoeven is looking at providing two different avenues for the relief funding.

Watne says while the financial pressures are high, it could be much worse if interest rates were higher.

Hoeven who is the appropriation chairman of the Senate Ag Committee’s sub committee is hoping to get Commodity Credit Corporation funding for farmers raised from $30 billion to $50 billion for producers.