North Dakota
Law to boost animal agriculture in North Dakota could create local market for soybean meal, Burgum says
![Law to boost animal agriculture in North Dakota could create local market for soybean meal, Burgum says Law to boost animal agriculture in North Dakota could create local market for soybean meal, Burgum says](https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/c3ef3e1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648%200%200/resize/1599x1066!/quality/90/?url=https://fcc-cue-exports-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/grandforksherald/binary/12L-3XTwdynv2qkZMJYoIBYGxK9XL-7Wf_binary_4934579.jpg)
GRAND FORKS – A new law that loosens restrictions on corporate farming in North Dakota is good news for agriculture manufacturing ventures like the planned Epitome Energy soybean crush plant in Grand Forks, says North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
The law, which went into effect immediately after it was signed on Friday, April 28,
aims to boost animal agriculture
in North Dakota, by allowing livestock operations to attract outside investments. The Epitome plant will produce soybean oil that can be used for renewable fuel or in food, but will also produce soybean meal, used primarily for feeding livestock.
“We’ve got the carve out and then we have an opportunity for economic investment,” Burgum said in a meeting with the Grand Forks Herald editorial board on Wednesday, May 10.
Previously, livestock operations like dairies and feedlots in North Dakota were limited to family ownership, making it hard to start new operations.
“Not all second cousins are going to say ‘I’ve got an extra 40 or 50 million (dollars) lying around,’” Burgum said. “We need real capital coming in to start some of these things.
Now, farmers can take advantage of outside investment, with some limitations — farmers must make up the majority of partners in a corporate structure, and no corporation can own more than 160 acres of farmland.
North Dakota was the eighth largest soybean producer in the United States in total bushels in 2022, producing 4.28 billion bushels, according to the North Dakota Soybean Council. But despite the number of soybeans grown in the state, only 7% of soybeans remain in the state.
Three soybean crush plants are in development in the state now. Construction has started on the
Green Bison Soy Processing facility
near Spiritwood and the
North Dakota Soybean Processors crush plant
near Casselton. The Green Bison Soy Processing facility is expected to open by harvest in 2023, while the North Dakota Soybean Processors plant is expected to be running by 2024.
Epitome Energy
is expected to break ground in Grand Forks in 2023.
“We didn’t have any before because if you were running the numbers on putting $350 million into a soybean plant, you needed two things — you needed soybeans and then you needed someone to buy the meal that came off the back end because the meal was generally eaten by animals,” Burgum said.
The three plants came to the state after a
shift in soybean processing,
Burgum said.
“They showed up because the market shifted so much around renewable fuels that suddenly you could build a soybean plant in North Dakota,” Burgum said.
Soybean oil can be used to make biodiesel, which can be blended with traditional petroleum diesel. The market shift to renewable fuels made the numbers work for having a soybean plant in North Dakota, Burgum said, even if soybean meal still has to be transported to states with more livestock. Now, the new law could result in more local consumers of the soybean meal at the three plants.
“Now they’re here, so there’s a huge opportunity,” Burgum said.
The $400 million Epitome Energy plant was announced in December. Once completed, it will have the capacity to process up to 42 million bushels of soybeans per year into crude degummed oil, meal and hulls. Oil produced at the plant will likely go into the renewable diesel industry, CEO Dennis Egan told the Herald in December.
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North Dakota
Huskers add top recruit in North Dakota to 2025 class
![Huskers add top recruit in North Dakota to 2025 class Huskers add top recruit in North Dakota to 2025 class](https://www.klkntv.com/content/uploads/2023/04/n/i/vlcsnap-2023-04-20-22h34m35s341.png)
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football staff got commitment No. 17 in the 2025 class on Sunday, adding four-star defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak.
The highly sought-after recruit from West Fargo, North Dakota, is the No. 1 recruit in his state and chose Nebraska over Oklahoma, Kansas State and Wisconsin.
Pietrzak checks in at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and has been on Rhule’s radar since he was hired at Nebraska.
He will join two other defensive linemen in the class of 2025: Omaha North’s Tyson Terry and Malcolm Simpson from Texas.
Pietrzak is the second-highest rated recruit for Nebraska in this year’s class so far behind Simpson.
COMMITED‼️@HuskerFootball @CoachMattRhule @Coach_Knighton @HuskerCoachTW
#GBR pic.twitter.com/SAXF1FOQ2J— Kade Pietrzak (@KadePietrzak) July 21, 2024
North Dakota
North Dakota Superintendent Helping Schools Develop AI Guidelines
![North Dakota Superintendent Helping Schools Develop AI Guidelines North Dakota Superintendent Helping Schools Develop AI Guidelines](https://townsquare.media/site/1140/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-07-08T115534.336.jpg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced new state guidance on artificial intelligence (AI) designed to assist local schools in developing their own AI policies and to help teachers and administrators work more efficiently.
A group of educators from North Dakota schools, the NDDPI, the Department of Career and Technical Education, and state information technology agencies created this guidance, which is available on the Department of Public Instruction’s website.
Baesler emphasized that implementing AI, like any instructional tool, requires careful planning and alignment with educational priorities, goals, and values.
She stressed that humans should always control AI usage and review its output for errors, following a Human-Technology-Human process. “We must emphasize keeping the main thing the main thing, and that is to prepare our young learners for their next challenges and goals,” Baesler said.
Steve Snow and Kelsie Seiler from the NDDPI Office of School Approval and Opportunity highlighted that the guidance was drawn from various state education agencies and technology websites, such as Code.org and TeachAI.org, with the process taking about eight months.
“We had a team that looked at guidance from other states, and we pulled pieces from different places and actually built guidance tailored for North Dakota students,” Snow said.
Seiler explained that AI excels at data analysis, predictive analytics, and automating repetitive tasks but lacks emotional intelligence, interdisciplinary research, and problem-solving abilities.
Snow added that AI can help teachers design lesson plans aligned with North Dakota’s academic content standards quickly and adjust them for students who need more support. AI can also simplify the development of personalized learning plans for students.
“You have so many resources (teachers) can use that are going to make your life so much easier,” Snow said. “I want the teachers, administration, and staff to get comfortable with using (AI), so they’re a little more comfortable when they talk to kids about it.”
Seiler noted that the NDDPI guidance is not a “how-to” manual for using AI but offers general suggestions on developing local policies to leverage AI effectively.
“Our guidance is meant to provide some tools to the school administration and say, ‘Here are some things to think about when you implement your own AI guidance,’” Snow said.
“For instance, do you have the infrastructure to support (AI)? Do you have a professional development plan so your teachers can understand it? Do you have governance in place that says what AI can and can’t be used for?”
8 Everyday Foods That Are Legal in Montana, Forbidden Elsewhere
These foods are easy to find on store shelves wherever you buy your groceries in Montana. However in other states they’re banned from the shelves!
Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart
Big List Of The Best French Fries In Montana
Gallery Credit: mwolfe
North Dakota
The most deadly time to drive is between Memorial Day and Labor Day
![The most deadly time to drive is between Memorial Day and Labor Day The most deadly time to drive is between Memorial Day and Labor Day](https://www.kxnet.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/07/Cars-on-Road5-1.png?w=1280)
NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — The hundred-day span between Memorial Day and Labor Day is marked as the most deadly period on the road here in North Dakota.
According to the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s 2022 crash summary report, fatal crashes are twice as likely during this time.
That’s why North Dakota leaders are urging drivers to not fall into a “false sense of security” during the bright and cheery days of summer.
According to Travel and Leisure, North Dakota has been marked as the state with the most reckless drivers.
There’s a range of reasons for this from drunk driving to speeding. But another reason is that when the snow clears, North Dakota drivers are eager to get out more and drive faster than they would in the snow, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division director.
And because North Dakota has some of the lowest citation fees in the nation, ranging from $5 to $100, the Highway Patrol’s safety and education officer says that drivers aren’t given enough deterrents to drive safely.
However, with growing concerns about safety, there could be talk of increasing citation amounts in coming legislative sessions.
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