North Dakota
North Dakotans argue merits of corporations in animal agriculture
BISMARCK — Supporters of a invoice to loosen restrictions on North Dakota’s company farm legislation say it’s too troublesome to boost the capital wanted to begin a big livestock operation in a state that’s already woefully behind its neighbors in animal agriculture.
Detractors say the invoice opens up the state to foreign-owned firms who don’t care about household farms or small cities.
Home Invoice 1371
even drew Gov. Doug Burgum to testify in entrance of the Home Agriculture Committee on Friday, Jan. 27.
Burgum stated he’s a associate in a cow-calf ranch in Slope County, and when these cattle are weaned, they exit of state as a result of there aren’t sufficient feedlots in North Dakota.
“We forestall our household farms from accessing the flexibility to mixture capital and shield themselves from danger like each different enterprise does within the state,” Burgum stated.
The invoice would make it simpler for company entities to function dairies and feedlots for cattle, hogs and poultry by altering the best way they’re outlined. The brand new definition would imply these animal ag operations don’t must adjust to the state’s company farming legislation, which is designed to restrict farmland possession to households and hold firms on the sidelines.
These animal feeding firms can be restricted to proudly owning 160 acres of land.
“I do consider that we’ll have extra partnerships created, extra funding from these communities and permit some, some folks to return into this state that are not firms, they’re simply utilizing a company construction to really complement what we now have happening right here,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring informed the committee.
Whereas supporters of the change talked about North Dakota falling behind different states within the variety of livestock raised, John Luke, a farmer from Spiritwood, stated he didn’t like what he noticed on a current journey to a convention in Nebraska. The agenda included a tour of Lincoln Premium Poultry (LPP) — owned by Costco.
“LPP owns the birds, the fowl’s genetics, the feed mill and so they have management of the entire processing plant and naturally the retail out within the Costco shops,” Luke stated. He stated the farmer pays for constructing the barn to LPP specs and will get a 15-year contract to boost birds for the corporate.
“It appears to me like LPP is simply utilizing the farmer for his or her land and their labor,” Luke stated.
He additionally famous an Agweek story on North Dakota’s lack of animal ag
that included an exception, a farm close to Oakes that raises hogs for an “integrator” who owns the pigs, delivers the feed and decides when to market them.
“If this legislation modifications, the integrator may have arrange their farm in North Dakota and will eradicate the necessity for the farmer altogether,” Luke stated. “I suppose it is these kind of company farms that I am involved about.”
Mark Watne of North Dakota Farmers Union, which has remained dedicated to North Dakota’s strict company farm legislation, stated the true want is for the state to get behind creating livestock and dairy processing, then the animals will come.
He stated North Dakota already produces extra livestock than it could actually course of.
“If we wish to construct higher alternatives for livestock manufacturing, we now have to construct out the provision chain,” Watne stated. “We have now to supply higher market alternatives and develop processing within the state.”
Watne, testifying in opposition to the invoice, and Kenton Holle of the North Dakota Milk Producers Affiliation, agreed on one level, that the Financial institution of North Dakota may do extra to help animal ag.
“We have now a state-owned financial institution that has not been utilized to supply for the expansion of our No. 1 business. The Financial institution of North Dakota may actually be the distinction that a few of these farmers wanted to maintain the household on the farm,” Holle stated.
Among the many farmers that testified in opposition to the invoice was Mary Root, a senior at Dakota Prairie Excessive Faculty in Petersburg, representing her dad and mom. Her household raises natural turkeys and works with Northern Delight, a grower-owned co-op in Minnesota.
“One in every of our greatest issues is that this invoice would not even require shareholders to be farmers or have any connection to the group. These company traders will not go to our church, their youngsters will not go to our faculties. They will not worth our area people the identical method … that my household and our neighbors do,” she stated. “Our farm is proof you can have a profitable family-owned poultry operation.”
The committee took no motion, however invoice sponsor Rep. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, mentioned an modification that will require an organization shopping for land to begin on building on a facility inside one yr and require it to maintain it working as an animal feeding operation.
Goehring stated the invoice can’t assure success.
“We’ve tried to place some safeguards in place, nevertheless it doesn’t suggest that completely it should work,” Goehring stated. “I do not know in case you may construct safeguards for each situation. This could complement our grain farming operations in North Dakota, prefer it does different locations.”
Daryl Lies of North Dakota Farm Bureau testified in favor of the invoice however argued that the invoice doesn’t go far sufficient.
“Each enterprise that farmers and ranchers do enterprise with — the elevator, the seed salesman, the crop safety gross sales — can make the most of a enterprise in a company construction. However but we’re informed that our enterprise doesn’t qualify for that company enterprise construction,” Lies stated. “So do you consider in that freedom that is enshrined in the US of America?”
North Dakota
Why is driving deadlier on North Dakota roads in the summer?
BISMARCK — With serious and fatal crashes consistently rolling in during the 100 deadliest days on the road between Memorial Day and Labor Day, North Dakota safety leaders are cautioning drivers about the “false sense of security” bright summer days can spark.
That sense of safety when the snow clears has earned North Dakota the unfortunate accolade of being named the state with the most reckless drivers by
Travel and Leisure.
While many point to high rates of intoxicated driving, cheap speeding tickets and the state’s rural road networks as reasons for crashes or reckless driving, officials in the state see a clear trend between summer driving conditions and catastrophic collisions.
During the 100 deadliest days, fatal crashes are twice as likely, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s 2022 Crash Summary
report.
Since the end of May, there have been nearly 50 serious-injury or fatal crashes statewide, according to a Forum analysis of reports from the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Approximately one-third of those crashes were fatal, surpassing last year’s numbers at this point in the year.
Several of those crashes involved motorcyclists not wearing helmets and drivers or passengers not using seat belts.
A recent crash near Jamestown that left two children dead,
as well as the driver and another child critically injured, has officials emphasizing the risks of summer driving. The mother of the two boys said they were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
Combining risk factors like not using restraints or safety gear with faster summer driving speeds can be a recipe for disaster.
“The clear roads and the good weather conditions often give people a false sense of security. They know that they can travel faster,” said Karin Mongeon, director of NDDOT’s Highway Safety Division.
“Really, the winter weather in North Dakota slows people down,” she said.
Mongeon works closely with Vision Zero, a government initiative created in 2018 aiming to decrease statewide fatalities by preventing reckless driving behaviors.
The program prioritizes areas of concern based on statewide data submitted by county law enforcement. Prominent dangerous behaviors include drunken driving, lack of seat belt use and speeding.
Mongeon said that although any number above zero is devastating, there has been a decrease in road-related deaths in North Dakota since the initiative began.
From 2017 to 2022, fatalities decreased by over 15%, dipping below 100 and the national average for the first time in decades, according to the 2022 NDDOT crash summary. Of the 98 fatalities in 2022, 69% of people were not wearing seat belts, 38% of crashes were alcohol-related, 31% involved speed and or aggressive driving and 48% involved lane departures.
A 2023 report is set to be released in September, which will denote 106 deaths. Despite the spike, Mongeon said she anticipates the downward trend to continue.
Education and outreach have proven to be vital components of Vision Zero, according to Sgt. Jenna Clawson Huibregtse, the Highway Patrol’s safety and education officer.
Schools can designate themselves as Vision Zero schools, leaving it up to the students to pick their initiative, like distracted driving or wearing seat belts. Coordinators recruit by attending community events and sending representatives to school board meetings.
The Highway Patrol also recently began releasing crash information regularly on social media. Crash reports are also available on
the agency’s website.
“We’ve noticed that if we attach a face and a name and put all of our information in one place, that it is making a difference,” Clawson Huibregtse said.
“We live in such a great state; there’s responsible people driving every single day making good decisions, but we want people to be aware of the reality of what’s on the road and what our troopers see every day,” she said.
Another Vision Zero approach to safer roads involves physically rebuilding them.
Wider center and shoulder lines, roundabouts in place of intersections and more rumble strips are some projects keeping state engineers like Justin Schlosser busy. Since implementing more roundabouts alone, overall crash numbers have decreased by a
third, according to an NDDOT traffic study published earlier this month.
“If there’s a crash (in a roundabout), you’re going to have some kind of sideswipe or rear-end, which are typically less severe injury crashes than an angle crash, usually the most severe type of crash you can get into,” Schlosser said.
“There’s just a bigger emphasis on driver safety and making sure that we don’t lose any lives on our roadways, but Vision Zero has definitely put a higher emphasis on that and helped us get in the right direction,” he added.
Clawson Huibregtse pointed to another factor in reckless driving — speeding tickets.
North Dakota has some of the lowest citation fees in the nation, with amounts ranging from $5 to $100, depending on the zone. Offenders traveling 16 to 20 mph above the speed limit, for example, pay $15. Thirty-six to 45 over is a $70 fine and 46 mph-plus results in a $100 fine, as stated in the
Century Code.
“It’s just not a deterrent at all for people to not behave recklessly when they know that there’s really no financial penalty,” Clawson Huibregtse said. “And it shouldn’t come down to that, it should come to the life and limb thing, but it just comes down to people’s pocketbooks sometimes.”
Increasing citation amounts has been struck down at past legislative sessions. But with more public interest in the issue, Clawson Huibregtse said she wouldn’t be surprised if the topic resurfaces this coming session.
“We hope, the more we work together across agencies, that we’re going to bring that number to zero, or as close as we can to zero,” she said.
North Dakota
United Liberian Association of North Dakota to celebrate Liberia Independence Day
Fargo — “We have been in the Fargo Moorhead area, you know, most of the time. You know the community. You know our host. They don’t see us. You know, very often. we want to ensure that, you know, we showcase, you know, the number of people, the Liberian people, that live here,” said Zlandorper Behyee, Treasurer of ULAND.
The United Liberian Association of North Dakota is celebrating Liberia Independence Day in Fargo for the 15th year, and organizers say instead of a hosting it in a community hall, they’re bringing the festivities outdoors.
“We’re looking at unity, coming together, bringing our community together, recognition and also diversity within our community where we live,” said ULAND President Ebenezer Saye.
Liberia was the first nation on the African continent to gain its independence from the U.S. on July 26, 1847.
Starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, the organization will host a soccer game for boys and girls at the Pepsi Soccer Complex in north Fargo.
At 5 p.m., there will be a formal program with city officials.
Throughout the festivities, organizers say there will be African music, food, and traditions.
My name is Anne Sara, better known as Sara.
I was born an only child in Port-au-prince, Haiti and moved to the U.S at the age of 2.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is where I was raised.
After graduating with my bachelor degree at Albright College, I moved to Florida to continue my studies.
WDAY is the reason why I moved to North Dakota.
North Dakota
North Dakota State Fair kicks off Friday
MINOT, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The 2024 North Dakota State Fair opens on Friday, July 19, and runs through July 27 with a lineup packed full of entertainment, rides, and family fun.
Fair organizers say the Grandstand Showpass is your ticket to some hot acts in the country music scene, such as Lainey Wilson, Sawyer Brown, Turnpike Troubadours, and Thomas Rhett, along with a demolition derby and the MHA Indian Horse Relay. You can catch all of the acts with the Showpass for $130.
Single ticket shows are also available, including Mötley Crüe with special guest White Reaper, Machine Gun Kelly with Shaboozey opening the show, and hip-hop icon Lil Wayne.
Tickets are available for $85 for Mötley Crüe, $75 for Machine Gun Kelly, and $65 for Lil Wayne, with both standing room and reserved seating options available.
A season gate pass for all nine days at the fair costs $25. You get tickets online by using the “TICKETS” link at www.ndstatefair.com
It’s the 59th year of the North Dakota State Fair tradition in Minot. Fair officials say they drawing over 300,000 visitors annually.
Copyright 2024 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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