FEEDING & MARKETING COMMITTEE
Jeff Breker, Chairman
Wayne Hepper, Vice Chairman
25-Resolution passed in 2025
24-Resolution passed in 2024
23-Resolution passed in 2023
ANIMAL AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, animal agriculture provides many economic, food security and environmental benefits to local communities, the state and the world; and
WHEREAS, North Dakota is rich in high-quality livestock genetics, feedstuffs and a climate conducive to efficient gains and healthy herds; and
WHEREAS, animal agriculture has become a priority for the state; an
WHEREAS, some animal agriculture projects have been subjected to unnecessary hearings and unjustified delays, even when obtaining all necessary state and local permits.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA continues to work with the legislature, the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and local political subdivisions to support responsible animal agriculture development and growth and to push back on erroneous and arbitrary impediments not rooted in law or sound science.
CELLULAR COMMUNICATION - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, a strong communication system is necessary for economic development and maintaining a strong business climate; and
WHEREAS, many of our rural communities lack adequate cellular communication coverage to meet their communication needs.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA shall encourage the development of the most reliable cellular communication coverage in rural areas to meet the communication needs of rural business.
CME LIVE CATTLE DELIVERY - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, the CME Group’s live cattle contract is an important risk management tool for the cattle industry; and
WHEREAS, the physical delivery on the live cattle contract is a necessary function to facilitate convergence of futures market prices with the cash market.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports physical delivery of live cattle.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA shall oppose any changes by the CME Group that would adversely affect cattle feeders’ ability to deliver on live cattle contracts, including but not limited to the discounting of deliveries to any delivery point.
LABELING OF U.S. BEEF - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, NDSA standing policy states that it believes in the fundamentals of free enterprise and in the free marketplace as the first choice of economic concepts.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports labeling of U.S. beef through the channels of free enterprise and entrepreneurship rather than a government-mandated program, which ultimately diminishes the free-market economic concept.
PRICE DISCOVERY - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, the five-state price reporting accounts for less cattle every year due to alternative pricing options.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports a price reporting system that reflects the true value of all cattle traded for the week.
LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTATION – HOURS OF SERVICE - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, a large share of North Dakota’s livestock trade depends on transporting all classes of livestock out of state over long distances; and
WHEREAS, for the well-being of livestock, they need to get to their destination as soon as possible.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA works with Congress and the Department of Transportation to create a permanent exemption from the hours-of-service mandate for the transportation of livestock.
LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTATION – WEIGHT & LENGTH STANDARDIZATION - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, cattle producers often have to transport their livestock hundreds of miles to pasture, feedyards or market, increasing overall cost of production due to freight costs; and
WHEREAS, there is variance in state laws regulating the maximum weight and length limits on trucks, causing inconvenience, confusion and economic loss to truckers, shippers and cattle producers; an
WHEREAS, these variances make it impossible for livestock haulers to maximize their load capacity, which causes more trucks to be on the road; and
WHEREAS, having fewer trucks on the road would increase safety, reduce environmental impacts and spread freight costs across a greater number of cattle, therefore reducing average freight costs per head.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA works toward maximizing the standardization of weight limits and lengths on U.S. highways and interstate highway systems across the country.
USDA INSPECTORS - 25 (FM)
WHEREAS, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors have a crucial role in food safety and consumer confidence; an
WHEREAS, food safety and consumer confidence have a direct impact on the beef industry’s access to markets, both foreign and domestic.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA opposes removal of USDA inspectors from packing plants and any privatization of the inspection process.
BEEF RECALL - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, the beef industry is dependent upon the acceptance of its product by consumers worldwide; and
WHEREAS, the beef industry continues in its quest for a wholesome and safe product.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA urges the secretary of agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and all other agencies to use caution, common-sense and science when dealing with such matters to prevent media sensationalism.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA urges checkoff funds be used to educate consumers about the proper care and preparation of beef products for the sake of consumers and producers alike.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA opposes allowing the secretary of agriculture or any federal agency to recall product arbitrarily.
EXPORTS - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, the NDSA recognizes the value of the United States’ beef export market to cattle producers, with exports adding an estimated $397.04 per head in value in 2023; and
WHEREAS, U.S. beef exports continue to grow, and opportunities for continued growth exist around the world.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports the U.S. Meat Export Federation and others’ efforts to effectively organize all organizations and government agencies involved in foreign market development to provide a united, well-developed and aggressive foreign trade effort.
FUTURES LIMITS - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, the futures market provides livestock producers with valuable tools for risk management; and
WHEREAS, the expanded futures market daily price limits adopted in June 2024 for Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle are large and have the potential to create more volatility and increased capital to hold a position.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA opposes formula-based variable price limits as a means to expand daily price limits within the CME Group Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle contracts and works with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the CME Group to find solutions amenable to both the buy and sell sides of the contracts.
HORSE HARVEST - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, the NDSA supports the humane harvest of horses for domestic use and/or export.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports the sale and/or transportation of horses for harvest and the export of horses and horse products.
LIVESTOCK DEALER INSOLVENCY - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, livestock dealers are an integral and necessary part of livestock marketing in North Dakota; and
WHEREAS, financial insolvency and license suspension of dealers have occurred and will continue to be risks to uninformed sellers; and
WHEREAS, many avenues of communication exist to make information immediately available to the state’s producers.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA urges the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and the North Dakota ag commissioner to release information regarding insolvent and/or suspended dealers through all relevant media as soon as legally possible to better inform livestock markets and producers to protect North Dakota livestock producers from financial risk.
LIVESTOCK MANDATORY REPORTING - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, price negotiations include history of where prices have been; and
WHEREAS, all price information is key in marketing cattle and in establishing a future price; and
WHEREAS, confidentially has been used as a justification for not including all price history information.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA works to renew Livestock Mandatory Reporting with the addition of a contract library, including base-price information.
MEAT INSPECTION-IMPORTED MEAT - 24 (FM)
WHEREAS, standards of meat inspection in foreign plants exporting meat to the United States are required by law to be the same as U.S. meat inspection standards.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports holding all imported meats to the same production, harvesting, processing and transportation standards as domestically produced product.
CARCASS WEIGHT REPORTING - 23 (FM)
WHEREAS, the data provided through USDA’s Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) system is vitally important to producers and enhances their ability to make informed marketing decisions; and
WHEREAS, national negotiated trade reports through LMR currently report price and volume in categories of 0-14 and 15-30 day delivery periods.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA supports LMR reporting.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA supports revisions to improve LMR reports by providing more timely and greater data detail that includes an 11 a.m. daily LMR report providing average carcass weights and volume of cattle harvested the previous day.
FINANCING FOR CATTLE FEEDING - 23 (FM)
WHEREAS, the cattle feeding industry in North Dakota adds value to North Dakota crops and agricultural co-products and adds value to cattle; and
WHEREAS, cattle feeding stimulates the local economy in supporting services of veterinary, transportation, marketing, banking, machinery and other input providers; and
WHEREAS, terminal slaughter markets are available within the surrounding region; and
WHEREAS, cattle values and cattle feeding costs have increased substantially, and capital availability has not kept pace.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA encourages the legislature, the Bank of North Dakota and other lending agencies to support the business of cattle feeding through easier access to capital, including lower equity requirements and competitive interest rates.
FOREIGN CATTLE IMPORTS - 23 (FM)
WHEREAS, infectious diseases carried by livestock or meat imported from other countries could be devastating to the U.S. beef cattle industry; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. government continues to pursue trade agreements with some of these countries.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA opposes the importation of cattle and meat from countries with an infectious disease until the possibility of infecting U.S. livestock or humans is negligible as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, any disease traced back to these imports be the full responsibility and liability of the country of origin.
LIVESTOCK MANURE - 23 (FM)
WHEREAS, livestock manure has many beneficial uses and does not degrade surface or ground water supplies when applied to land at appropriate agronomic rates with accepted agricultural practices; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in Concerned Area Residents for the Environment (CARE) v. Southview Farm that runoff from animal waste applied through a center-pivot irrigation system, manure spreader or front-end loader is a point source of pollution; and
WHEREAS, federal and some state regulatory agencies have proposed that individuals applying organic nutrients to land not owned or controlled by a livestock production facility must obtain permits and keep extensive records and that such regulations will put it at a competitive disadvantage to commercial fertilizer, reduce demand and increase liability for livestock production facilities.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA seeks to remove any disincentives and create new incentives in federal programs to increase the utilization of manure for soil fertilization, conservation and greenhouse gas reduction.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA supports actions to continue the definition of animal manure applied to the land through accepted agricultural practices as a non-point source.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NDSA opposes any efforts to regulate natural, organic nutrients as toxic or hazardous waste.
LIVESTOCK RISK PROTECTION PROGRAM REFINEMENT - 23 (FM)
WHEREAS, the Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) program is a risk management program for livestock producers; and
WHEREAS, LRP requires ownership and possession of the livestock to implement the policy; and
WHEREAS, producers often buy livestock on contracts for future delivery; and
WHEREAS, this leaves the producers exposed to market volatility and risk until the delivery of the livestock.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NDSA works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the ability to obtain an LRP contract once a purchase contract is obtained and the down payment has been paid.