BISMARCK – Gov. Jack Dalrymple has proclaimed March as Pride of Dakota Month and March 29 as Pride of Dakota Day.

"North Dakota is a leader in the production of quality agriculture and home-crafted products for the United States and the world,” Dalrymple said. “The Pride of Dakota program serves as an important marketing tool for North Dakota companies that are competing in a global market.”

The governor noted that the Pride of Dakota program, now in its 26th year, has more than 450 active and associate members.

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is encouraging livestock producers to make sure they are providing enough high quality feed to their animals.

“Pasture growth will likely be delayed and quality grass may not be available until later in the spring because of the amount of snow on the ground and the harsh winter we have experienced so far,” Goehring said. “Producers need to focus on quality, not just quantity, in their feed rations to ensure that their animals maintain proper body condition as winter continues and stored feed may run short.”

BISMARCK – A delegation of North Dakota government officials and energy industry and farm group representatives will travel to Denmark in March to learn more about that country’s efforts to develop a cellulosic ethanol industry.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the Jamestown City Hall, Council Chambers, 102 3rd Avenue SE, Jamestown.

Commissioner Goehring and officials from Great River Energy will discuss efforts to establish the world’s first, commercial-size, cellulosic ethanol plant near Jamestown.

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the decision to deregulate a new corn variety is a victory for both producers and the ethanol industry.

“Deregulating alpha amylase corn gives growers another option for the upcoming growing season and beyond,” Goehring said. “The new corn variety will greatly benefit the ethanol industry because it increases the efficiency of fermentation.”

The North Dakota Pesticide Control Board (PCB) will meet by video conference at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 8.

The video conference can be monitored at the North Dakota Department of Agriculture conference room on the sixth floor of the State Capitol in Bismarck and in Room 306, Morrill Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo.

The PCB administers state pesticide laws. It is chaired by Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and includes Duane Hauck, director of the North Dakota State University Extension Service, and Kenneth Grafton, director of the NDSU Experiment Station.

A subcommittee of the North Dakota State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) will meet at 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 4, in the conference room of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture on the sixth floor of the State Capitol in Bismarck.

The subcommittee will review applications for the North Dakota Veterinary Loan Repayment Program. The BOAH will recommend three applicants for the program to the North Dakota Health Council.

For more information, please contact Dr. Beth Carlson at (701) 328-2655.

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has asked federal officials to expedite a decision on whether producers can plant a new corn variety developed to enhance ethanol production.

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is urging livestock producers, especially those with animals in or near flood-prone areas, to make sure that they have plans in place for sheltering and feeding the animals.

“With the high water content of the snowfall we’ve been getting and with at least two more months of winter ahead of us, it is very possible that we will have serious flooding in some parts of the state this spring,” Goehring said. “Producers need to be prepared to move their animals or their feed quickly if necessary.”

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says that a risk-based strategy for enforcing pesticide regulations is working in North Dakota.

“We levied only 143 enforcement actions during fiscal year 2010,” Goehring said. “That means that about 78 percent of the farms and businesses inspected by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture during the year were in compliance with the law.”

Goehring said the risk-based strategy was first implemented in FY 2008, resulting in a compliance rate of 77 percent.