I was surprised to see the press release that Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring issued a warning to producers not to respond to an open records request filed by Dakota Resource Council with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. I was even more surprised that Goehring described DRC as an organization “generally opposed to typical agriculture operations.”
As a farmer/rancher in Warwick, ND and a member of DRC I want to set the record straight.
We are not opposed to agriculture. We are opposed to the consolidation of the industry in ways that harm rural communities, strain local environments, and leave everyday people holding the bag while a handful of corporations collect the profits. Farms that consolidate into 12,500 and 25,000 head operations is not normal.
DRC members are farmers and ranchers. We are not opposed to agriculture.
Our politicians spend years telling the public how hard the state regulates these entities, and then introduce bills to remove those same regulations with a machete. We refuse to normalize what is happening to agriculture in this state, because it is not normal.
DRC filed a public records request to know how many animal agriculture sites are registered in the state. We would never ask a farming operation directly for manure records. Commissioner Goehring is using his office to discourage people from engaging with a public process and a nonprofit organization asking questions. That is putting his thumb on the scale.
We oppose entities that damage the environment for personal and political gain at the expense of rural communities. Most agricultural operations do not act in that way. DRC will not stay quiet if operations threaten our landscape or our rights to property.
They hate that we are watching. We are going to keep watching.
Karen Anderson, farmer/rancher and DRC member, Warwick, ND
Verified by telephone – March 19, 2026: LAO, DLJ Editor Emeritus.
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