Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today said they hope the New Mexico ranchers will get answers to their questions regarding insurance policies they purchased to protect them from losses of grazing forage as a result of dry weather conditions in the state.

At Bingaman and Udall's urging, a top official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency was in New Mexico today to talk to New Mexico producers about issues and concerns raised regarding the Pasture, Rangeland, Forage insurance program and the methods it uses to calculate losses in the state.  The Senators, in separate letters last month, had asked the USDA to look into the concerns raised by insurance policy holders.

"I hope that today's visit is a sign that USDA is taking New Mexico's and ranchers concerns seriously and is making an effort to work through this issue to find a solution.  I will continue to work closely with the agency to ensure that the insurance policies are properly designed to meet the needs of ranchers in my state," Bingaman said.

"I am pleased the USDA took time to visit New Mexico to listen to the concerns of our ranchers and producers in an effort to find a mutually agreeable decision," Udall said.  "As this process continues, I will keep a close eye on the USDA to see that New Mexico interests are addressed."