The agriculture commissioners and secretaries from North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota shared the stage at the Midwest Ag Summit in West Fargo, finding more common ground than differences. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says regional collaboration strengthens agriculture’s voice on trade. “Ninety-five percent of the world’s population lives outside the United States. Eighty Percent of the world’s buying power is outside the United States; that’s where we need to be, and that’s why it’s important.” Goehring also made a push to rebuild North Dakota’s livestock sector, saying now is the right time. “We do grain production really well in North Dakota. Animal agriculture offers diversity in our portfolio, the ability to have other markets for our commodities, and we can maybe shrink that fertilizer bill a little bit. It’s just a good symbiotic relationship.”
