Senate appropriators had trade woes and the promise of industrial hemp on their minds Thursday as they sought assurances from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue of better times for farmers in their states.

Perdue testified before the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on the president’s $15.7 billion request for discretionary funding for the Agriculture Department. The request is more than $4.2 billion lower than the enacted level for fiscal 2019 and includes cuts to research, rural housing, international humanitarian food programs and other areas popular with lawmakers.

Subcommittee members asked about the proposed reductions, but indicated they are likely to ignore the proposals as they have with previous Trump administration budget requests.

Chairman John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, said he’ll instead push to increase funding for the department to implement the 2018 farm bill, a priority for farm state lawmakers. Perdue said he would welcome a bump up in the $15 million the farm bill provided.

The farm bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and opened the door to expanded production of the versatile plant, which is part of the cannabis family that lacks the high of marijuana. A number of states authorized limited production under research provisions of the 2014 farm bill. Hemp seems to have captured the interest of farmers looking for a new cash crop.