(Washington, D.C.) - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus introduced a major component of the upcoming Farm Bill today along with North Dakota Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven.  Baucus molded the legislation from the input of Montana farmers and ranchers at listening sessions across the state.  He is attending another listening session hosted by the Montana Farmers Union in Great Falls, Monday, April 2. During the session, Baucus will go over his proposal with Montana producers and look for ways to make it work even better before rolling it into the larger Agriculture Committee Farm Bill.

"I've spent a lot of time over the last year traveling around Montana and talking to producers about what's important to them - things like the Livestock Disaster Assistance program I created in 2008 and a fair plan to chip in on deficit reduction while still making sure our farmers and ranchers are protected from volatile markets and weather," Baucus said.  "This bill is made in Montana by the farmers and ranchers who get dirt under their nails every day to keep food on our tables, and now that we've got something down on paper I look forward to working with them to make it even better."

 Baucus' bill includes four main Montana priorities:

1.       Baucus' bill makes the Livestock Disaster Assistance program Baucus created in 2008 permanent.

2.       Baucus's bill extends the crop disaster program, known as SURE through 2012 and creates a strong new safety-net for farmers and ranchers called the Revenue Loss Assistance Program (RLAP) in 2013.  RLAP combines the Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance (SURE) and Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) into one streamlined and more effective program. 

3.       Baucus's bill renews the Counter-Cyclical Program, which protects Montana farmers from volatile market prices.

4.       Baucus's bill authorizes the USDA to offer a Supplemental Coverage Option to provide additional funding for crop insurance, which provides support for Montana farmers and ranchers hit by drought, flooding and other disasters.