BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).
“This advisory committee will come together to continue investigating the challenges of coexistence among different forms of agricultural production,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “I hope this committee will recommend workable solutions that will enhance the ability of all farmers to grow the crops they want in order to effectively meet the needs of their customers.”
The North Dakota State Board of Animal Health will meet at 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 29, in the Peace Garden Room of the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck.
BISMARCK – The 2011 edition of the North Dakota Local Foods Directory is now available from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
“This is your guidebook for finding fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, jams and jellies, beef, goat, lamb, poultry and other locally-sourced products,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. “More people want fresh, high quality, locally grown food products, and producers are responding by offering new and different products.”
BISMARCK – A new exhibit – “Showcasing North Dakota Agriculture” is making the rounds of county fairs and other farm-related events across the state this summer.
"Showcasing North Dakota Agriculture is both a tribute to our state’s most important industry and a platform for helping everyone understand the importance of farming and ranching,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.
BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says federal crop insurance authorities have taken a positive step to help North Dakota producers who have not been able to plant their crops.
"USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has just extended the eligibility for prevented planting coverage from one in three years to one in four,” Goehring said. “This action is in direct response to the conditions we are experiencing this year, and RMA deserves our thanks.”
BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has asked federal authorities to reduce the penalty producers must pay if they hay cover crops on land for which they have received prevented planting payments.
"We are more than likely going to see one of the highest acreage levels for prevented planting (PP) in North Dakota’s history,” Goehring said in a letter to William Murphy, administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). “With the current weather patterns we are experiencing, we are likely to have a feed shortage as the summer progresses.”
BISMARCK – Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring have asked federal officials to make an exception in prevented planting policy for producers in the Devils Lake basin whose farms have shrunk or disappeared due to the lake’s rising waters.
The North Dakota Organic Advisory Board (NDOAB) will meet at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, at the FARRMS/ICS building, 301 Fifth Ave. SE, in Medina.
The NDOAB represents organic producers, processors, retailers, consumers and certifiers, and provides information and advice to help the North Dakota Department of Agriculture better identify and meet organic industry needs.
BISMARCK – The longtime chairman of the North Dakota Credit Review Board (CRB), Elwood “Woody” Barth, is retiring after 22 years of service.
“Woody Barth has made an invaluable contribution to North Dakota’s agricultural industry,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, who presented Barth with a plaque Wednesday, during the CRB’s regular meeting. “Starting in the dark days of the farm crisis of the 1980s and 90s, Woody’s sound leadership of the Credit Review Board helped establish policies that provided thousands of producers with mediation and negotiation services.”
