Amid chaotic times, farmers and ranchers want their voices heard
North Dakota farmers and ranchers with several generations on the land want people to know that this success is the very definition of sustainability.
Yet most are facing chaotic times that make it more difficult to operate and potentially pass their legacy on to their families.
For some, like Tony Schneider, a farmer and rancher and a board member of the North Dakota Barley Council, its time producers take more action explaining to the public what they do, how they do it, why they do it, as well as their importance to the state and country as a whole.
“Maybe there’s a little hope for agriculture to get its message out, when I see things like this here,” Schneider said. “People are so removed from agriculture they don’t know where their food comes from. I think that education is really important.”
Schneider spoke after an off-the-record agricultural roundtable at North Dakota State University on March 12 jointly organized by the North Dakota News Cooperative along with Oakland, California-based PolicyLink.
The gathering of over a dozen farmers, ranchers and ag leaders was organized to get a better understanding of what challenges farmers in North Dakota face and how they see the future.