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Agriculture Commissioner
Questions:
1. What is your vision for the state of ND?
2. What qualifies you for the office you are seeking?
3. What do you see as the biggest challenge if elected?
4. What do you see as the biggest opportunity?
5. What are your thoughts on social media?
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Merle Boucher (D)
1. North Dakotans understand how important food and energy production is to others. Our productive agricultural soil and energy resources are envied around the world. These valuable goods generate "new wealth." We should work to add more value to these commodities. This not only provides greater opportunities for our producers to enhance profit margins, it creates new businesses and jobs. We have a strong agriculture and energy economy that is capable of supporting growth. The national unemployment rate hovers around 9.5 to 10 percent.
2. As a fifth generation landowner and rancher, I understand production agriculture and the issues affecting the industry. From experience gained from my 20 years in the House of Representatives, 14 of those years as a floor leader, I understand how public policy is made and know the processes involved that move policies forward. My life's work has prepared me to be North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner.
3. To sustain and move our agricultural productivity and energy development forward the state's infrastructure needs improvement. Building infrastructure also creates further business activities and many jobs. For some time we have debated and discussed ways to attract people back to our state. Out-migration was a concern to nearly everyone. There is no better time than now to attract people to our state.
4. North Dakota is in a position to do what very few other states are capable of doing. Our economy is strong. We have available capital and room for more people. This is a rare opportunity to determine our own future destiny.
5. Social media is widely used as a social exchange and conversation. It does have a place to function in politics, however it is more often used in social circles as form of communication. Social media for the most part is positive, however I have also witnessed situations where it has been and can be used as an insightful tool for communicating. Social media should continue to be a positive way to communicate and it will continue to be a part of our present day society.
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Doug Goehring (R)
1. North Dakota will maintain and build upon its vast agricultural and energy producing capacities, creating wealth, employment and a better quality of life for all its citizens.
2. I am a farmer and come from a long lineage of agricultural producers. I have been advocating for agriculture for many years, actively involved in policy development, crop insurance and research issues. I've served in leadership roles on the state and national level, including the North Dakota Farm Bureau, Nodak Mutual Insurance Company, North Dakota Soybean Council, North Dakota Grain Growers and the United Soybean Board.
3. Making federal agencies understand the adverse effect their policies can have on producers. Farmers are the best stewards of the land and the resources needed to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel - why would they irresponsibly damage the environment, thereby compromising their ability to farm successfully in the future?
4. Increased industrial use of agricultural commodities. Biofuels are just a start. I believe that research will generate new uses for our crops.
5. The Ag Department now has a Pride of Dakota Facebook page with more than 2,500 "fans" and can be reached on Twitter and Ning. I intend to implement these new tools together with traditional media elsewhere in the department in order to reach a wider audience.
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