Idled land: N.D. officials want break for flooded producers

BISMARCK — With up to one-fifth of the North Dakota land that normally would host crops possibly remaining idle this year due to flooding, state officials are pressing for crop insurance changes to provide more help for farmers and ranchers — something federal officials say is unlikely. North Dakota has seen significant river and overland flooding this spring. Some farmers, particularly in the Souris River basin in the north-central part of the state, are still waiting to get into fields well past the time some crops should be starting to grow.

By: By Blake Nicholson, The Associated Press, The Jamestown Sun