VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today marked the grand opening of the Columbia Grain Pulse Processing Plant in Valley City. The 11,000 sq. ft. facility has the capacity to process 40,000 tons of pulse crops per year, including dry edible beans, peas and lentils. Hoeven stressed that value-added investments like this new facility reinforce the state’s role as a leader in pulse production. North Dakota is the nation’s top producer of dry edible beans, with the state’s farmers having grown 423,247 metric tons of this commodity in 2025, while being a leading producer of dry peas and lentils as well.
Hoeven also outlined how such a facility helps to strengthen the farm economy, as it provides a local market for North Dakota’s producers. Supporting value-added agriculture, including through initiatives like year-round E15 sales, is one of the ways the senator is working to expand domestic demand for U.S. agriculture producers. Hoeven further discussed his efforts to:
- Secure additional farm assistance, having worked to secure President Trump’s support for the effort, with the president last week calling for the farm aid to be passed as part of a future funding package.
- Hoeven is working with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) to:
- Expand the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) to cover a greater share of producer losses.
- Include acres that were prevented from being planted as eligible under FBA.
- Expand support for specialty crops and sugar producers.
- Increase farm ownership and operating loan limits.
- Hoeven stressed that this additional assistance would help ease financial struggles in farm country until the enhancements to crop insurance and ARC/PLC that he worked to secure in the One Big Beautiful Bill come into effect later this year.
- Hoeven is working with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) to:
“This pulse processing plant is an exciting opportunity for North Dakota farmers, giving them a convenient, local market for the high-quality crops they produce. By expanding domestic demand for U.S.-produced ag commodities, we can make the farm economy more resilient against challenging international market conditions, like our farmers are facing right now,” said Hoeven. “We continue working to get our ag producers through this tough stretch until the enhanced farm safety net provisions we passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill come into full effect in October. President Trump is a vital ally in this effort, and we appreciate his support for moving the assistance package that I’m working to craft with Senate Ag Committee Chairman Boozman.”
