BISMARCK, N.D. — Agriculture under attack. It seems that every day we hear another story of those that don’t like what farmers and ranchers are doing and want to be in the way of progress. In North Dakota, agriculture is the major economic driver, no questions asked. It’s been the major economic driver – over 125 years ago at the establishment of our state – and it remains that major economic driver today.
But, we must be able to adapt and expand. And one of the areas that come under constant attack is livestock agriculture. The ownership, the placement of where it happens, and how it happens seems to be at debate by those that are not even involved in that segment of our industry.
Which brings us to some concerns. Do people want others going into retail businesses and telling them how to do business? And the kind of shelves to have that aren’t offensive to them, or if it fits the way they have in their mind that you should be doing business, instead of the way that you need to do it for your employees or customers?
Do we want to go into the industrial builders and tell them that they must use a different color paint because we don’t like that color? That they must use a different kind of welder to weld their equipment together they’re building?
We have to ask ourselves, in an agricultural state like North Dakota, do we want prosperity, or do we want to regress? That’s the question at hand.
At NDFB we have very specific policy, and I quote: “We support efforts to expand all of the livestock industry in North Dakota.” End quote. That’s important. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a sheep or a goat, a chicken or a pig, or now, what’s coming under attack, the beef cattle industry. All livestock is important to the expansion of agriculture in North Dakota.
We have the availability and the ability to do it responsibly, which is important, not just to the average citizen of North Dakota, but this is important to the farmers and ranchers. Being responsible is part of who we are. And therefore, we need to have the ability to do on our private property, the things that are allowed under the law of our state, to expand agriculture, and one of the best ways to do that is through livestock.
Do we need to have conversations so that folks that don’t live out in the countryside, that don’t raise livestock have a better understanding? Absolutely. And we’re willing to have those conversations. But we cannot have the misinformation that is being spread by those that want to stop agriculture instead of enhance prosperity in our state.
For questions or comments, please contact Dawn Smith-Pfeifer.
— Daryl Lies, President of North Dakota Farm Bureau
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