North Dakota's House passed SB 2351 this afternoon, a bill that exempts certain swine and dairy operations in the state from the existing anti-corporate farming law.
The measure is an attempt to strengthen the livestock industry in the state, particularly dairy, as numbers rapidly decline.
The House voted 56-37 in favor.
If the Senate agrees to the House's amendments, the bill will go to Gov. Jack Dalrymple for his signature.
Rep. Dennis Johnson, R-Devils Lake, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, noted that North Dakota is one of nine states with anti-corporate farming laws and the only state without a livestock exemption.
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He said the bill would encourage investment in the state's struggling swine and dairy industries while also benefiting grain farmers by providing fertilizer and additional markets for their crops.
"We could do nothing and watch them fade away. But I think we have an opportunity here to try and help them," he said.
"I'm disappointed that legislators passed this bill, ignoring the majority of North Dakotans who want farmland ownership and agricultural production to be in the hands of families making a living off the land," said North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne.
NDFU and other opponents of the measure have criticized the bill's allowance of corporations to own parcels not exceeding 640 acres. The bill does not prohibit corporations being part of partnerships that own 640-acre parcels.
"There were a number of amendments made to this bill to address loopholes that exist with the 640-acre limitation per facility," Watne said. "We're not convinced by a long shot that the amendments fully address our concerns or those raised by the Secretary of State's Office. The bill gives the North Dakota Ag Department the authority to set rules for corporate compliance, which is nothing short of the fox guarding the henhouse, and it puts an inappropriate burden on the state Health Department to determine who can and can't incorporate in North Dakota."
MIke Nowatzki of Forum News Service contributed to this report.
