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Letters to the Editor

Bill to defund public TV wastes lawmakers’ time

Keith Monilaws, Absaraka What does the legislature have against Prairie Public TV to refuse to fund it? House Bill 1255, introduced by Republican Rep Jorin Johnson, is another example of our legislature wasting time and energy introducing bills for made up concerns The only reason I have seen for this bill being brought forward is because some Republicans feel Prairie Public does not give equal time for pro-life discussions even though CEO John Harris said, “Our goal is to do fact-based reporting.” “Allow different viewpoints to be heard and different voices to be heard, and ...

Where’s promised drop in egg prices?

Dean Hulse, Fargo Remember when President Trump promised immediate action on egg prices? Here’s a refresher for those Trump-supporting spinmeisters: last August he said, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.” Well … egg prices increased more than 8 percent from November to December, according to the Consumer Price Index. Furthermore, experts say the increases are likely to continue as long as outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian flu persist. (We already know how Trump likes dealing with disease outbreaks.) The U.S. Department of ...

Why the autonomous ag grant program is good for ND

Michael Howe N.D. Secretary of State Growing up northeast of Casselton as the fifth generation of our family farm, I’ve been fortunate to have seen advancements in modern agriculture that my great-great-grandfather would have never imagined. From water drainage practices to Roundup Ready sugar beets to GPS farm equipment to precision agriculture technology. Today if you look back at a 1989 North Dakota farm, it may as well be a farm from 1889. What will a North Dakota farm look like in 2089? In 2021, the North Dakota Legislature took a forward-thinking step to prepare for what ...

Trump saving, not abusing America

Andrew Allis Granville Trump Saving, Not Abusing America. In a recent letter to this paper, one contributor likened Trump’s executive orders to family abuse, the abuse of the family of the United States. While every analogy limps, this one didn’t even crawl. Consider the abuse to the U.S. family, and individual families, the last four years under the previous Biden administration. According to a November 2023 analysis performed by the Joint Economic Committee, it now costs $11,400 more a year to buy the basics and have the same standard of living as in January 2021, visiting ...

School meals translate to student success

Michelle Wagner Bismarck Ensuring that every child has access to healthy school meals is about reducing hunger and is an investment in North Dakota’s economy. That’s why I strongly support HB 1475, a bill that would provide school meals at no charge to all students. As the Child Nutrition Program Director for Bismarck Public Schools, I recently testified in favor of HB 1475, highlighting its economic benefits. Increased meal participation means greater demand for North Dakota’s agricultural products. If this bill passes, schools statewide could purchase an additional 2.1 ...

Bill builds on past wins in ag

Sen. Paul Thomas Velva Rep. Jared Hagert Emerado In the 2023 session, we passed bills to address the limited growth and advancement of animal agriculture. That legislation provided the regulatory freedom and framework necessary to attract high capital, value-added animal and production agriculture investment in our state. Two bills currently working their way through the 69th legislative session would build on this success by providing financial incentives for continued investment in agriculture. HB 1332 provides for value-added agriculture facility incentive funding within ...