Language protecting modern farming and ranching practices will be part of North Dakota’s Constitution, thanks to North Dakota voters, according to the North Dakota Farm Bureau (NDFB).
“This is a great day for the people of North Dakota,” says NDFB President and chairman of the N.D. Feeding Families Committee, Doyle Johannes. “Measure 3 passed in every county. North Dakota voters saw how important agriculture is to our state, and how vital it is for farmers and ranchers to keep moving forward with technology and best management practices. We are truly thankful and gratified for the support of our state’s voters.” North Dakota is the first state in the nation to add right-to-farm language to the state's constitution.
Johannes says none of it would have been possible without the countless hours of work volunteers put forth in getting the required signatures to get the measure on the ballot.
“Without those 270-plus volunteers working every day to get those signatures, we would not have been able to make this happen.”
Johannes is also proud of the fact that all the money collected to support the measure was funded in-state.
“One hundred percent of the money for our Vote Yes on Measure 3 campaign came from in-state. Our county Farm Bureaus donated a great deal of time and money to the campaign, and we could not have placed the ads or done the work we did without their support.”
Johannes says that with the passage of Measure 3 North Dakota will have a better tool to protect modern farming and ranching practices from being curtailed by radical agendas.
“There is nothing more dangerous than half-truths and out-right lies designed to move an agenda forward. We have seen what happens in other states when those agendas are made into law. We are thankful that with passage of Measure 3 it will be harder for groups with those agendas to gain a foothold in our state.”
Johannes says it will be important to remain vigilant to those anti-ag agendas.
“We don’t expect this to stop these agendas from surfacing, but at least we will have recourse when they do.”