North Dakota government and agriculture officials agree that the farm bill passed Thursday should benefit farmers across the state, especially through the implementation of a $3.8 billion permanent disaster aid fund.

The bill passed by a veto-proof margin, meaning that it is almost assured to become law despite longstanding White House opposition.

It provides federal funding for five years worth of food stamp and related nutrition programs, crop subsidies, payments to farmers who put their land in a conservation program, and renewable energy development incentives.

Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said he thinks the permanent disaster aid title will be of the greatest immediate benefit to North Dakota farmers. He said the old system of having to pass a separate bill each time there was a crop-killing disaster took too long, while the new system will guarantee these payments and get them there in a timely manner.

While important, the crop supports will likely play less of a factor in the near future because the market prices are all much higher than the support prices.

"I'm pleased with the bill overall," Johnson said.

Dan Wogsland, executive director of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association, said North Dakota farmers will benefit greatly from the permanent disaster aid because they operate in an environment with more weather risk than colleagues in other states. Wogsland also said it's a good bill for a state that grows a wide diversity of crops because it provides some protection for them all.

"I think everyone's breathing a sigh of relief that we got a farm bill," he said.

That sigh extended from here in North Dakota to the D.C. offices of the state's Democratic congressional delegation. Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, and Rep. Earl Pomeroy have all been leading advocates for the bill as it wound its way through the process.

"These votes in the House and Senate illustrate the bipartisan consensus we were able to build for this farm bill," Pomeroy said in a statement

From back home, Republican Gov. John Hoeven was pushing the bill with the White House and other involved players on his side of the aisle.

One area of disappointment was payment limits to the wealthiest of farmers and agricultural operations. Even though the bill included a $40,000 per year payment cap, Johnson said he would have liked to see tighter income restrictions on who receives them.

Dorgan spearheaded an attempt to do just that in the initial Senate debate, but was shot down by his colleagues.

(Reach reporter Jonathan Rivoli at 223-8482 or jonathan.rivoli@bismarcktribune.com.)