BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – It’s a well-known fact that agriculture is the state’s number one industry. Lawmakers in Bismarck see an opportunity to make it even more profitable.
North Dakota is a leader in farming.
“We rank first in the production of spring wheat, durum wheat, canola, flax seed, all dry edible beans, pinto beans, dry edible peas and my favorite, honey. We rank second in rye, sunflowers, and lentils, third in sugar beets, oats and barley, and in the top dozen for states of corn, soybeans, potatoes, and chickpeas,” said Governor Doug Burgum.
But when it comes to animal agriculture, North Dakota lags behind.
“We’re 23rd in cattle and calves on feed, South Dakota is seventh, Minnesota is eighth. We’re 35th in milk cows, Minnesota’s seventh, we’re 24th in hogs and pigs, Minnesota is second,” said Governor Doug Burgum.
And that’s why the majority leaders in either chamber agree with the governor on the need to grow livestock operations.
“We really need to update what we’re thinking about animal agriculture, so there will be some legislation that will be moved early in the session to ramp that up,” said House Majority Leader Representative Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson.
How do they plan to do that? By addressing an old statute that doesn’t allow two people who aren’t related to pool their resources to build a larger operation.
“What we all know is that to have sustainability as a dairy operation, you need to have thousands of dairy cows, not a few hundred. And that takes resources,” said Senate Majority Leader Senator David Hogue, R-Minot.
But some believe this could negatively impact family farms.
“We kind of see the governor’s push as a distraction from some of the consensus proposals we’ve worked on with partners across the ag space,” said Matt Perdue, government relations director for North Dakota Farmers Union and a producer from Ray.
Perdue says lawmakers’ priorities should include maximizing opportunities for the state’s family farmers.
“When we talk about bringing in outside entities, that becomes a challenge and frustration for many of our members,” said Perdue.
The governor’s farm freedom bill hasn’t been introduced yet.
This isn’t the first time this issue has been in front of the Legislature. A bill designed to allow corporations to own and operate dairy farms and swine productions was signed into law in 2015, but it was repealed by voters the following year.
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Corporate farming bill back in the Legislature; mixed support – KFYR
