BISMARCK — Ninety-four percent of North Dakota is drought stricken. USDA has already opened up Conservation Reserve acres in North Dakota for emergency grazing and haying to help ranchers feed their livestock. It’s not enough says the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. He’s helping to organize a hay lift.
Goehring : I’ve been working with North Dakota State University to identify areas were we can receive hay donations. With that, people can bring hay into the state. People can contact our department or NDSU, and we’ll get information out to them. With that, we’ll do a hay lottery in semi load lots. We’ll split it into two categories, those that are 35 and under and those that are 36 and over and distribute that hay in a lottery system.
Goerhring says some North Dakota farmers and ranchers haven’t even bothered to turn their livestock out into the pastures.
— Doug Goehring, North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture
Todd Gleason, Farm Broadcaster
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