North Dakota Agricultural Commissioner

Roger Johnson

The voters of North Dakota have twice honored me by electing me to be the state’s leading spokesman for this vital industry and to oversee the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture has many responsibilities. Here are just some of them:

We ensure that pesticides are used safely, and we also work to ensure that farmers and ranchers have access to the chemicals they need to protect their crops and livestock. 
We provide farmers and ranchers with mediation services to help them resolve differences with creditors and to help them deal with government paperwork. 
We certify that North Dakota commodities are free of insects, disease and other pests. 
We help North Dakotans get rid of unusable pesticides through Project Safe Send. 
We work with cities and counties to control noxious weeds that threaten crop and grazing lands, lakes and rivers. 
We work to protect livestock and other domestic animals from disease. 
We help North Dakota companies develop and expand markets for their products. 
We inspect dairy farms, processing plants and haulers to ensure the milk supply is safe. 
We work to reduce the millions in dollars of damage that wild animals cause to crops and livestock. 
We work with the beekeeping industry to prevent bee disease and to promote the use of honey.
The Agriculture Commissioner is an advocate for the state’s 30,000 family farmers and ranchers. I have often been called to testify before Congress on pending legislation, and as a member of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, to help develop national agricultural policy.

Expansion of trade is vital to the U.S. and especially to its agricultural sector. I have worked on many fronts to develop new markets for North Dakota agricultural products. I have twice visited Cuba, and I support ending the U.S. trade and tourism embargoes against that country. I am convinced that the more that the Cubans know about our way of life, the more they will want to adopt it for themselves. 

As Agriculture Commissioner, I sit on the three-member State Industrial Commission, which serves as the board of directors for North Dakota’s two state-owned businesses, the Bank of North Dakota and the State Mill and Elevator. I also am a member of the State Board of Tax Equalization, State Water Commission and many other boards and commissions.

A “typical day” for me involves a lot of meetings, some face-to-face, others by telephone or e-mail. The participants in these meetings include department staff, other government leaders, legislators, the news media and most importantly, farmers and ranchers. I also get to travel around the state and to speak before many groups, including farm organizations, service clubs and schools. This is very much a “people job,” and I like it that way.

Thank you for your interest in North Dakota and its Department of Agriculture. If you want more information, please look at our website – www.agdepartment.com.

I commend you for your interest in government. As citizens of the greatest of all democracies, it is up to all of us to remain informed on the major issues of our time, to vote in all municipal, state and federal elections, and to serve our country in whatever way we can. By doing so, we can ensure that the United States will always have a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Sincerely

Roger Johnson

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner

Biography

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