The diversity of North Dakota agriculture was on full display during the roundtable discussion with ag leaders. Agriculture Secretary Rollins heard from leaders in nearly every commodity, from dry beans to potatoes and from cattle to corn. North Dakota Soybean Growers Association President Justin Sherlock said farmers are facing headwinds. “A lot of us have burned through our working capital. ECAP and other programs are a band-aid; they’re helping, but a lot of us will not likely be here in ’26 if we don’t get some certainty,” said Sherlock. “Farming is an uncertain business. We have tools like crop insurance to help mitigate that, but we need more certainty and clarity.” Due to the political challenges on Capitol Hill, Northland Potato Growers Association Executive Director Gary Shields said the only opportunity to pass portions of the farm bill may be through the budget reconciliation process. “This piecemeal approach does not address the needs of specialty crops, including potatoes,” said Shields. “It is unlikely that another bill will be able to move forward after the reconciliation bill is completed.” North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Executive Director Julie Ellingson spoke about the new animal disease traceability program. Ellingson said her organization supports traceability, but the number of electronic identification tags is not feasible. “Our Fiscal Year 2025 allocation was 97,000. It takes about 300,000 to get through what we need in a normal year, and we are completely out. That has become an unfunded mandate because that will come at the cost of producers and veterinarians.”
