WASHINGTON — Members of Congress pressed the U.S. agriculture secretary Wednesday to expedite a provision in the new farm bill that helps ranchers in the Dakotas and Nebraska recover from an October blizzard.

The nearly $100 billion-a-year federal farm bill, which awaits President Obama’s signature, restarts a livestock disaster program that had expired. Members of the South Dakota and North Dakota delegations were among those urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to make sure there are no delays getting the relief money to ranchers.