Resolutions
Our members vote on resolutions each year at our annual meeting.
From our focus on environmental stewardship to our stance on
trade policy and support of new ag technology, our members
vote on resolutions each year during our annual meeting to help
guide our focus and define the issues important to North Dakota farmers.
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Farm Programs and Economics
1. NDGGA supports efforts by USDA to maintain separate wheat marketing loan rates by class of wheat.
2. NDGGA urges USDA to allow producers to fix LDP price up to 60 days prior to harvest.
3. NDGGA urges USDA (CCC) to carefully watch posted county prices and adjust them in a timely manner when needed due to local market conditions.
4. NDGGA is willing to support an ad hoc disaster program if needed.
5. NDGGA supports having a 3 year limitation from the date of notification on NRCS and FSA violations.
6. NDGGA supports the enactment of reasonable penalties in the event of a FSA or NRCS violation; further reasonable penalties should only pertain to the area in question.
7. NDGGA opposes any payment limitations in the Farm Bill.
8. NDGGA supports efficient, well-funded FSA and NRCS offices.
9. NDGGA believes all people working in FSA and NRCS offices and on the projects they administer should be only employees of those agencies.
10. NDGGA opposes mandatory farm program participation or the linking of farm safety net programs to conservation programs and requirements.
Conservation and Environment
1. NDGGA opposes the prioritizing of the most productive farmland highest in CRP contracts, and urges the USDA to focus the program on Highly Erodible Land as was initially intended of the program.
2. NDGGA recommends that the maximum CRP rental rates be not greater than the average rental rate in the county.
3. NDGGA demands that the NRCS and Corp. of Engineers create farmer friendly tools to allow for minimal effects and mitigation of wetlands.
4. NDGGA demands that Natural Resources Conservation Service furnish their wetland maps to farmers that specifically define all wetlands and their borders.
5. NDGGA is against mandatory wetland buffer strips or zones around designated wetland for any purpose.
6. NDGGA demands that any governmental agencies inform and allow the landowner to accompany the inspection before they assess, certify, or delineate the characteristics of his land. The landowner must be notified of a forthcoming survey of his land and be given sufficient opportunity to accompany the officials’ inspection.
7. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports legislation on a state and national level that would close all access to private lands without landowner permission.
8. NDGGA opposes the deletion of the term “navigable waters” in the Clean Water Act.
9. NDGGA supports policy whereby the NRCS must use actual dated maps and must use a third party soils entity in NRCS related violation cases.
10. NDGGA opposes the requirement of pesticide applicators having to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit when applying pesticides on or near water.
11. NDGGA opposes undue regulatory efforts by EPA.
12. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports tiling as a method of orderly water management; further NDGGA will work on issues related to tiling and orderly water management.
13. NDGGA supports that CRP is under the same regulations as cropland for the purposes of water management.
14. NDGGA supports the updating of EPA risk assumptions used in formulating EPA risk assessments.
15. North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports a 3-year statute of limitations on look backs pertaining to NRCS and FSA violations; further NDGGA supports that look backs should only pertain to the acreage in question.
16. NDGGA opposes perpetual wildlife and conservation easements on agricultural land.
17. NDGGA opposes any further expansion of federal regulation of water, land or air.
18. NDGGA opposes the Waters of the United States rule.
19. NDGGA does not support weather modification in North Dakota.
Trade
1. NDGGA demands US Trade negotiators protect our right to strong domestic farm policy and opposes such policy being negotiated away to benefit other sectors of the US economy.
2. NDGGA opposes the use of unilateral trade sanctions or embargoes of food and/or food products due to the negative impact on US producers. All current sanctions should be subject to economic analysis and review.
3. NDGGA urges the US Trade Representative and the Commerce Department to investigate the impact that trading countries’ currency values have on trade agreements.
4. NDGGA urges the Administration to continue to monitor foreign subsidy levels to ensure that they remain equitable and to utilize EEP and other export programs like PL480, GSM 102 and 103 to whatever level necessary to move our production and to maintain our markets.
5. NDGGA urges close monitoring of the North American Free Trade Agreement progress by NAWG, NBGA, U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Wheat Associates to ensure that northern grown wheat, durum and barley have fair access to that market.
6. NDGGA promotes market and government policies, such as FMD and MAP, for selling North Dakota wheat and barley and their products around the world.
7. NDGGA supports the elimination of state trading enterprises and export subsides.
8. NDGGA supports no reduction in domestic support policies until Europe takes steps to reduce theirs.
9. NDGGA supports no reduction in US agricultural tariffs until other countries make significant reductions. Export credits are not export subsidies and should be maintained along with US Food Aid Programs.
10. NDGGA opposes any disruption to the U.S. grain export system.
Risk Management / Marketing / Futures
1. NDGGA encourages RMA to develop realistic quality adjustment tables that reflect actual market place discounts and encourages RMA to use grower organizations input in making these adjustments.
2. NDGGA opposes the creation of an “equivalent bushels” criterion, whereby grain would be priced on a dry matter or fixed moisture basis.
3. NDGGA supports the continuation of a viable federal crop insurance program addressing continuation of Prevented Plant option; APH is not affected by reported prevented plant acres; and 85% payment level, at an affordable rate.
4. NDGGA supports the concept of offering a whole farm, by crop, insurance program at levels of 90% of proven MPCI yields per farm.
5. NDGGA opposes inserting any yield figure for APH purposes into prevented plant acreage.
6. NDGGA supports the new malting barley crop insurance product which has been submitted to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation by the North Dakota Barley Council.
7. NDGGA supports speedy implementation and use of the new 508h regulations.
8. NDGGA supports equal treatment of beginning farmers in regards to USDA-RMA regulations.
9. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports the indexing of crop insurance audit triggers; such indexing would allow for the same audit protection of the crop insurance system and would more accurately reflect audit needs in the prevailing crop insurance market.
10. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports at least partial payment of crop insurance claims by crop insurance companies on claims subject to audit; such payment would help alleviate producer cash flow problems caused by untimely settlement of claims that are subject to audit.
11. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports changes in RMA audit provisions when a producer exceeds a 150 percent production fluctuation.
12. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports holding interest in abeyance on crop insurance premiums due by producers on unsettled claims that are subjected to audit.
13. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports limiting crop insurance audits to the specific year in question; should irregularities arise in the audit year, subsequent years should be subject to inspection.
14. Be it resolved that NDGGA supports production history be calculated and included in a producer’s actual production history when that producer experiences a mechanical fire.
15. NDGGA supports an Actual Revenue History crop insurance product for malting barley.
16. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association encourages USDA-Risk Management Agency to allow enterprise units to cross county and state lines.
17. North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports that USDA RMA federal crop insurance cannot change the rules after the final signup date.
18. NDGGA supports alternatives to federal crop insurance.
Research/Grain Quality
1. NDGGA will continue to urge lawmakers to fully fund all state and federal research and crop breeding programs to enhance wheat and barley production.
2. NDGGA will support the empowerment of the PSC towards equitable grain sampling, DON testing standards, and falling numbers.
3. NDGGA will actively pursue research funding for a genome mapping of wheat and barley.
4. NDGGA supports origin-based grain grading on all U.S. domestic shipments.
5. NDGGA will work for full accountability of NDSU Research Foundation expenditure of Research Funds used for administrative purposes.
6. We support research and incentives to form alliances with and between industrial users and other crop associations. e.g.: Corn and bean associations; for the discovery of alternative uses for wheat and barley and components and by products thereof.
7. NDGGA supports legislation and incentives to enable ethanol research, information, development and production.
8. Recognizing that quality grain has great potential for market growth and price potential, NDGGA urges the NDSU Experiment Station and NDSURF to develop a unified selection criterion placing quality and yield as top priorities in their breeding programs and future releases.
9. NDGGA supports the use of 100% of monies collected under NDSU or NDSURF licensed barley and wheat varieties be used to enhance the breeding and disease research for wheat and barley varieties.
10. NDGGA supports an increase in the investment in, and research of, biotechnology enhanced wheat and barley products at NDSU.
11. The NDGGA supports legislation that would ensure confidentiality needed for universities to form partnerships with private companies.
12. NDGGA supports funding for wheat stem sawfly and wheat stem maggot research as well as other pest research.
13. NDGGA resolves that we support funding Ag Research and Extension Services set forth by the priority of the State Board of Agriculture and Research Extension (SBARE).
14. NDGGA supports the Ag Products Development Center.
Crop Protection
1. NDGGA supports the efforts of the North Dakota Crop Protection and Harmonization Board to correct the disparities in price and availability of products across state and international borders.
2. NDGGA shall urge the EPA to speed the process of crop protection registrations.
3. NDGGA urges the EPA to continue granting minor use registration for chemicals applied to minor use crops.
4. NDGGA supports the efforts of the NAFTA TWG Subcommittee on Pesticide Harmonization to promote pesticide harmonization between Canada and the United States. Further, NDGGA supports efforts to share crop protection registration data between Canada and the United States in order to reduce the time and expense of product registration.
5. Since Agro-terrorism and food security have the potential for devastating impact on commodity sales and markets, NDGGA will take a leadership role in developing policy that protects our national security, food supply and growers from this threat both from domestic and imported sources.
Communications/Public Relations
1. NDGGA will work to promote a positive public image of farmers and agriculture.
2. NDGGA will develop better communications with the other segments of the wheat and barley value chain, in order to better form alliances to work on issues of common interest.
3. NDGGA is committed to provide the education and awareness of marketing tools and market information through social media and the NDGGA.com website.
CLOSE ACCORDIAN
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Transportation/Farm Safety
1. NDGGA supports strong educational and informational programs to encourage safe use of farm equipment and crop protection products. We urge the equipment and supply industry to continue to improve their products to provide a safer farm-working environment.
2. NDGGA supports increasing the distance enabled under the reciprocity agreements on commodities transported between North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana from 20 to 150 miles for farm trucks.
3. NDGGA supports nondiscriminatory geographical rates and consistent, timely service for all grain shippers of all sizes.
4. NDGGA supports changing IRS restrictions for farm trucks from 7500 miles to 20,000 miles.
5. NDGGA resolves to work on transportation issues on the state and national levels.
6. NDGGA opposes allowing law enforcement to obtain truck weight information from grain facilities.
7. NDGGA supports truck overweight fines go to the state highway fund.
8. NDGGA supports dust control measures on highly impacted rural roads.
9. NDGGA supports compensation to agricultural producers for damages to crops, livestock, people and property caused by excessive road dust.
10. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports mandating reasonable access to agricultural lands for agricultural equipment.
11. NDGGA supports detailed monthly reporting of the status of all rail shipments to Congress and the appropriate federal and state agencies.
Ag Credit/Taxes
1. NDGGA urges Congress to make permanent the total elimination of estate taxes.
2. NDGGA opposes the taxation of farm and livestock buildings and the Legislature shall index upwards the amount of off-farm income allowable to qualify for the exemptions.
3. NDGGA urges Ag lenders to create attainable credentials for beginning farmer loan programs.
4. NDGGA will fight for state legislation where urban and agricultural lands are given equal percentage reduction in any property tax relief legislation.
5. NDGGA supports the concept of shifting a considerable percentage of the real estate tax onto the mineral right owner with the surface owner having first option to redeem them should the tax on the mineral rights fall into delinquency.
6. NDGGA supports reinstating the Section 179 limits at $500,000 annually.
Other
1. NDGGA supports efforts to find efficiencies in the operation of the national wheat organizations.
2. NDGGA supports the expanded domestic production of oil and natural gas and expanded development of renewable energy sources.
3. NDGGA supports new and additional value-added opportunities for the wheat and barley industries which will be beneficial for producer participation.
4. NDGGA supports the elimination of “violator hotlines”; producers should have the right to know who their accusers are and what alleged violation has occurred.
5. NDGGA supports the consolidation of FSA and NRCS offices and to move towards more electronic options.
6. NDGGA supports current U.S. Department of Labor regulations impacting labor on farms.
7. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports timely payments of damages to farmers and ranchers impacted by energy development.
8. The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports timely tenant notification as well as landowner notification of impacts related to energy development.
9. In order to protect one of North Dakota’s most precious resources, its productive farm and ranch land, NDGGA hereby resolves that it supports the requirement that private surface owners be granted the same surface use requirements as the State Land Department mandates for state land.
10. In order to protect one of North Dakota’s most precious resources, its productive farm and ranch land, NDGGA hereby resolves that it supports that the setback for all drilling and production operations be increased from 500 feet to 1320 feet to protect the value of occupied farm and ranch homes.
11. NDGGA supports drone usage by farmers and those they employ for agricultural purposes.
12. NDGGA opposes usage of drones by any law enforcement or regulatory agencies over any private land without permission of the landowner and tenant.
13. NDGGA opposes a national wheat checkoff.
14. NDGGA opposes data collection without the permission of the producer.
15. NDGGA supports the privacy of information.
16. NDGGA supports the Ag Field Labs facility project at NDSU.
17. NDGGA supports adding fertilizer production capacity in North Dakota.
Technology
1. NDGGA supports research, development, and the advancement of Biotechnology for the opportunity it provides, consumers, processors, and production agriculture, and encourages the education, promotion, registration, and customer acceptance of genetically enhanced wheat worldwide.
2. NDGGA opposes any mandatory labeling for products made from crops that are enhanced through the use of biotechnology.
3. NDGGA is opposed to a moratorium on the research and development of Biotech crops.
4. NDGGA supports the use of sound science in making decisions regarding new technologies.
5. NDGGA supports Market Access Program funding for biotech education of wheat buyers.
6. NDGGA supports new fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat technology and NDGGA encourages to launch its fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat into the marketplace as soon as possible. 2016
7. NDGGA supports protection of GPS signals from interfering sources.
8. NDGGA supports timely FDA testing of GMO traits in food crops to determine their safety for consumers.
Energy
1. NDGGA supports the immediate development of interstate and intrastate pipelines to move oil, natural gas, and refined petroleum products.
2. NDGGA supports using North Dakota’s abundant energy resources for the value added benefit of North Dakota.
NDGGA Climate Change Resolution
Be it resolved that the North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports an effort by Congress to develop comprehensive energy legislation that:
• Promotes innovations and technologies that make present fuel sources more efficient and environmentally friendly
• Reduce United States dependence on foreign energy
• Is cost effective for energy consumers and producers
• Promote alternative fuel sources
• Is phased in as new technologies become available in a cost-effective manner
• Has world-wide buy-in and acceptance, especially from China and India
• Takes into account the agricultural sector’s energy dependence so that negative impacts and unintended consequences to agriculture are minimized as much as possible
• Takes into account the overall effect on the United States economy as to minimize potential negative impacts and unintended consequences
• Protects the environment in a reasonable and responsible manner
NDGGA - BIOTECHNOLOGY POSITION STATEMENT
Biotechnological research holds great promise for the future, and the U.S. wheat industry recognizes these advancements. In preparation for the future commercialization of biotechnologically-derived wheat, we take the following positions
1. We support and will work to ensure the ability of wheat producers to make planting and marketing choices based on economic, agronomic, and market factors.
2. We commit ourselves to the principle that our customers’ needs are a very important consideration. We support the ability of our wheat customers to make purchases on the basis of specific traits.
3. We support servicing newly emerging market segments for wheat through utilization of market developed and demand driven segregation systems.
4. We urge the adoption of a nationally and internationally accepted definition of biotechnologically-derived products. We also urge international harmonization of scientific standards and trade rules.
5. We support voluntary labeling of food products, provided it is consistent with U.S. law and international trade agreements and is truthful and not misleading. We oppose government-mandated labeling of wheat products in both the U.S. and international markets based upon the presence or absence of biotechnologically-derived traits that do not differ significantly from their conventional counterpart.
6. We support the establishment of a reasonable threshold level for adventitious or accidental inclusion of biotechnologically-derived traits in bulk wheat or wheat food products in both U.S. and international markets.
7. We are confident that biotechnology will deliver significant consumer and producer benefits. We support continued biotechnology research, and product and market development. We invite valued and interested customers to join with us in a working partnership to explore the emerging biotechnology industry.
U.S. Wheat Industry Definition: – Biotechnologically Derived (Genetically Modified Organisms) *
Genetically modified organisms (commonly referred to as “transgenic”) are organisms derived from somatic cell fusion or direct insertion of a gene construct, typically but not necessarily from a sexually-incompatible species, using recombinant DNA techniques and any genetic transformation technology (e.g., bacterial vectors, particle bombardment, electroporation).”