The North Dakota Grain Growers Association held its annual meeting on Dec. 9, 2020. The meeting was held virtually for the first time in the association’s history because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Typically we would all be meeting up in Grand Forks, but because of the situation we are in, we are happy we have the technology to do this virtually. I hope everyone finds this solution to be a good one for the situation we are in,” said Tom Bernhardt, president of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the association remains steadfast in its goals.
“As always, our main goals are to provide our state’s farmers with education, representation and proactive advocacy,” Bernhardt said.
Bernhardt also touched upon the association's continued policy efforts.
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“This year we focused on maintaining a strong presence in Washington. We have been able to ensure that North Dakota farmers are represented on federal policy issues despite the travel challenges,” Bernhardt said.
Throughout the virtual meeting, various videos were shown for NDGGA members, including one from Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee.
“I want to thank all the farmers that work hard, you do everyday. It's because of farmers like you that Americans have access to the highest quality and lowest cost food supply in the world. We deeply appreciate this important contribution to our state and our nation, and we recognize the real challenges you have faced in recent years. Every American benefits from the hard work of our farmers. Every single day,” Hoeven said.
In addition to Hoven, North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford was able to join the meeting and shared a few words of encouragement and a testament to the resilience of North Dakota’s farmers, a common theme for the evening.
“No one is better suited to feed our future population than our North Dakota ag producers, and the grain growers play an important role in demonstrating this. We look forward to working with the North Dakota Grain Growers Association this next year and the years into the future,” Sanford said.
