Latest news with #SenateAgricultureandVeteransAffairsCommittee
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$30M incentive for large North Dakota ag facilities receives 'do-pass' recommendation from Senate committee
Mar. 21—GRAND FORKS — The $30 million incentive program for large agricultural developments in North Dakota received a unanimous "do-pass" recommendation from the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee Thursday morning. It was the first hearing for the bill following legislative crossover, when both houses of the Legislature began considering the others' session bills. The bill was designed with the proposed Agristo potato processing facility in Grand Forks in mind. The Belgian potato processor announced its $450 million plan for its first American facility earlier this year and this incentive being considered is just one of several planned. "This really is an important project for us," Grand Forks City Administrator Todd Feland said. "We don't want to let all the regional growers down since they've done so much work. ... (And) we couldn't do these projects without the state of North Dakota." The proposal being considered by the Legislature would allow Agristo to apply for an up to $30 million state grant, paid in two parts. The first half would be given when a certificate of occupancy is issued and the rest when the facility has reached 50% of production capacity. The grant works on a reimbursement model and can be used for capital expenditures, infrastructure and site acquisition. To fund the grant, the Bank of North Dakota will be able to extend a line of credit to the agriculture commissioner for grant awards from the Agricultural Diversification and Development Fund. The appropriation measure would only be valid for the biennium that ends in June 2029. The city of Grand Forks also is providing a tax incentive, allowing the company to have a reduction to its property tax bill for 20 years, if approved by the other taxing entities in Grand Forks . During the Thursday hearing, Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, asked Grand Forks Region Economic Development President and CEO Keith Lund about potential workforce shortages the Agristo development may cause. Lund said the development would attract job-seekers. "(Agristo's) report shows that it is very doable in North Dakota," Lund said. He said the state's business and tax climate is an attractant. While boosters feel the facility, if built, would be an economic asset for the region, some also said that it will bring back an agricultural crop that has lost market share in the last few decades. The project could be a great thing for all aspects of the potato industry, according to North Dakota Seed Commissioner Ken Bertsch. "The announcement of the Agristo project means that our seed potato industry will potentially benefit in the same manner as the commercial production sector," Bertsch said. "North Dakota's seed potato industry could grow 20% to 30% from today in acres produced." Bertsch estimates that the Agristo project would be a $10 million to $20 million boon for seed potato growers and even more to the state's agriculture industry and communities. "This is the most positive development in the seed potato sector in years," Bertsch said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Modified bill that seeks to create military impact zones intends to build communication, senator says
Feb. 14—BISMARCK — A bill that seeks to create a commission to "harmonize" land use around North Dakota military installations isn't intended to build barriers, but rather to stimulate communication and collaboration between military branches and nearby towns, counties and townships, according to the senator who introduced it. Sen. Jeff Barta, R-Grand Forks, spoke about Senate Bill 2398 for more than 15 minutes during a meeting of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee. He stressed that the bill is focused on improving the performance of the military crews and missions that call North Dakota home. "This is about the security, safety and the mission success of our bases," Barta told the committee. Later during the meeting, he said, "this is about bringing those people together and how we collate resources and have that shared information to make the best decision for each of those localities (municipalities, townships and counties)." Robustly amended from its original version, SB 2398 was discussed for more than 35 minutes overall during Thursday's legislative committee hearing. In addition to the creation of "impact zones" around four North Dakota military installations, the bill intends to form a military compatibility commission that would "harmonize land use in military impact zones, prevent encroachment of military installations in military impact zones and promote the sustainability of military operations in the state." In its original form, the wording of SB 2398 said the commission would "oversee and coordinate land use in military impact zones." (Emphasis was added by the Herald to highlight the words that were changed and then replaced with harmonize). Also, 2398's original version laid out specific geographic circles around North Dakota military installations, including 25 miles around Grand Forks Air Force Base and Minot Air Force Base and 5 miles around Camp Grafton (South) and the Cavalier Space Force Station. In the amended version, all of those distances are crossed out, replaced with wording that specifies "the outer boundary of each zone must be established by an assessment in a compatible use study and contingent upon the missions of each base." The bill originally spelled out that the commission would include the governor, or a designee of the governor; a member of the state Public Service Commission, or a designee; a representative from each county, township and city within the boundaries of an impact zone; and, on a voluntary basis, the commander of each installation, or a designee. That has been changed to the governor; one representative selected by the North Dakota Association of Counties who is a member of the association; one representative selected by the North Dakota Township Officers Association who is a member of the association; one representative selected by the North Dakota League of Cities who is a member of the association; and, on a voluntary basis, the commander of each installation or a designee thereof. The members of the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee did not vote Thursday to suggest passage or failure of the bill. That will come later. Five people testified in favor of SB 2398 during Thursday's committee hearing, including Barta; Fred Brooks, regional environmental coordinator of the U.S. Air Force; and representatives from the Minot Area Chamber and Economic Development Corp., the North Dakota League of Cities and the North Dakota Association of Counties. Five people — including Barta, Brooks and Bruce Gjovig, of Grand Forks — submitted written testimony in favor of the bill, while Grand Forks City Council President Dana Sande submitted written testimony that was listed as "neutral." There was no written testimony against the plan. Earlier in the week, the Grand Forks City Council voted 6-0 to not support SB 2398. Sande's letter to the committee — written on behalf of the council — clarified that council members "support the concept of military impact zones and the idea of a military compatibility commission," but "our concern is regarding the size of the military impact zone." Specifically, Sande wrote, the originally declared 25-mile circle around Grand Forks Air Force Base would be "an extremely large area that will impact all land use decisions in the city of Grand Forks and the ET zone around the city." He said the city would support an amendment that would exclude the city and the 2-mile extra-territorial zone, which Sande described as a 2-mile buffer beyond city limits. "Do we support the Grand Forks Air Force Base and their current and future missions? Yes. Do we support creating a plan so potential encroachment on the base is addressed? Yes," Sande wrote. "If the Legislature can amend and fine-tune the issues addressed in this testimony, can we support this bill? Yes." Gjovig, a member of the Air and Space Force Civic Leader Program, wrote that encroachment on bases — particularly land, airspace and electromagnetic spectrum encroachment — can significantly affect security and mission viability. "Current encroachment legislation only deals with land encroachment, but airspace and electromagnetic spectrum encroachment is just as crucial for military operations," he wrote. At present, he wrote, North Dakota lacks "specific state-level legislation to protect military installations from encroachment and lacks a coordinating entity (formal point of contact) to act as a liaison and clearinghouse with developers, local government and others to resolve potential conflicts." SB 2398 has a connection to a past controversy in Grand Forks. In November 2021, it was announced that the China-based agribusiness company Fufeng planned to build a wet corn mill on the north side of Grand Forks. Among the concerns that were raised — along with perceived issues related to cost to the community, encroachment on nearby landowners and environmental concerns — was that the mill would be a national security threat, due to its proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base. In early 2023, after the U.S. Air Force issued a statement saying it was indeed concerned with the Chinese plant being built within 20 miles of the base, the city terminated all agreements and discussions with Fufeng, effectively ending the project. During Thursday's committee meeting, Barta said the goal of SB 2398 is to help avoid potential threats — intentional and unintentional, foreign and domestic. "This can help us mitigate some unforeseen circumstances and some unintentional consequences of things being put up that will nonetheless be an enemy to our military mission. Those are on the domestic side," he said. "It's not that someone is intentionally doing it, but when we have a development come in, we don't know the impact it will have until we start asking those questions." He said the 25-mile radius around bases — included in the bill's original version — "went away in a hurry" because it would have created too many limitations. So, Barta said, rather than picking some arbitrary number, "we need it to be specific to the missions." Development within the designated area would be subject to review for any potential interference with radar communications and flight operations. Toward the end of his testimony Thursday, Barta said the goal is to enhance the regulatory framework within the state to protect military installations and to "support the local governments in making informed land use decisions that align with military needs."
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should states use an 'odor tool' to keep farms away?
How smelly is a hog farm or a feed lot? That's a question the North Dakota Department of Agriculture plans to answer with a computer-generated model to help guide where livestock operations can be located. Senate Bill 2174 establishes the Agriculture Department's odor modeling tool as the way to determine how often smells from a farm will be a problem in nearby areas. The discussion comes as two large dairy farms are planned for the Red River Valley and as North Dakota tries to catch up to neighboring states on animal agriculture. The model will use data such as the number and type of animal, terrain, odor-reducing practices, wind and other weather conditions to determine how far away from the animals that odor may be noticeable. Ag groups testifying on the bill on Jan. 23 in front of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee were mostly supportive of the plan as a way to make it clear where livestock operations can and can't be established. More: Watertown's new Latin fusion restaurant serves up savory Central American cuisine Feeding livestock is seen by groups that grow corn and soybeans as a way to develop local markets for their crops. The odor tool is being developed by South Dakota State University. South Dakota, which has leapt ahead of North Dakota in animal agriculture, uses a similar tool. The bill would limit the ability of counties and townships to establish setbacks — how close a livestock operation can be to a residence — setting maximum distances depending on the size of the operation or the odor model. More: LaRue's brings authentic French pastries, cuisine to Aberdeen's historic Ward Hotel Larry Syverson, executive director of the North Dakota Township Officers Association, said the group generally supports the bill but is disappointed that it doesn't include a way for townships to collect fees for additional road use associated with large livestock operations. The barns and other ag-related facilities are exempt from property taxes under North Dakota law, meaning there is no extra tax revenue to the township or county. The bill comes out of work done by a task force that studied zoning ordinances for animal agriculture. Sam Wagner of the Dakota Resource Council testified against the bill. 'It feels like these standards are too industry friendly,' Wagner said. He added that the task force was too weighted toward ag groups and lacked input from health and environmental groups. Wagner also said the bill strips away township rights. Among the others testifying against the bill was Erik Olson, a resident of Abercrombie Township near Wahpeton. The township is the site of one of two large dairy farms planned for North Dakota by Riverview Dairy of Morris, Minnesota. 'This seems as a way for these mega dairies to reduce setback distances,' Olson said. 'Townships should have the allowance to regulate and assure the people that we are protected and not forced out by any mega animal feeding operations.' The committee did not take action on the bill. Deputy editor Jeff Beach is based in the Fargo area. North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Should US states use an 'odor tool' to keep livestock, farms away?
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baiting bill limiting North Dakota Game and Fish policy passes Senate
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, speaks during a public hearing of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee on Jan. 17, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill preventing policies that would limit the use of baiting for big game animals on private property passed the Senate floor Wednesday on a 31-15 vote. Senate Bill 2137 would prohibit the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish from creating rules and policies on using bait for wildlife. The bill, similar to a proposal that failed in 2023, attracted a packed crowd to a Jan. 17 committee hearing and submitted testimony from nearly 200 people. Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, stated the department wanted the ability to restrict baiting as a means to control chronic wasting disease in deer and other diseases that could affect wildlife and livestock, according to written testimony. North Dakota hunters debate deer baiting rules Sen. Randy Lemm, R-Hillsboro, told fellow senators that he disagrees with the Game and Fish Department's theory that CWD can be spread through deer congregating around a bait station. He also said the disease can live for long periods of time in the soil with an incubation period between 17 months to four years. The average lifespan of a whitetail deer is up to four years, he said. 'More animals will be killed by hunting, predators or cars before they will ever get to the point of lameness caused by CWD,' Lemm said. Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, said regulations on CWD don't line up with the science on the disease and voted in favor of the bill. 'If a property owner wants to feed an animal on their property, they have that right. It is their property,' Boehm said. Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, was among those who voted against the bill. 'The Game and Fish Department is trying to balance the concern over the disease with the attempt to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible,' Dwyer said. 'I think we should let the Game and Fish Department do their job.' The bill was amended to include a July 31, 2029, expiration date for the law. It will be transferred to the House for its consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
