North Dakota Agricultural Commissioner

Roger Johnson - Biography

A third-generation family farmer, Roger Johnson was elected North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner in 1996 and re-elected in 2000. Commissioner Johnson is a native of Turtle Lake, where he was very active in FFA as a youth, participating on judging teams and serving as chapter president. In 2001, he received the Honorary State and American FFA Degrees, the organization’s highest honors, for his commitment to agriculture education and FFA.

Commissioner Johnson has been a longtime Farmers Union member, serving as McLean County president and Turtle Lake Cenex board president.

Commissioner Johnson graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics. He has an extensive background in agricultural mediation, serving as administrator of the North Dakota Agricultural Mediation Service from 1989 to 1996.

In 1997, Commissioner Johnson led the creation of the bi­partisan Commission on the Future of Agriculture (COFA), which brought together more than 60 organizations representing a broad range of rural and agricultural interests to craft a vision for the future of agriculture in North Dakota. The Commission brought forward 55 initiatives, a number of which have been implemented.

As Agriculture Commissioner, he serves on the three­-member State Industrial Commission, which acts as the board of directors for the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and State Mill and Elevator. He is a member of the State Board of Tax Equalization, State Water Commission and many other boards and commissions.

Commissioner Johnson currently chairs the Rural Development and Financial Security Committee of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). He is also president of the Midwestern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (MASDA), and immediate past president of the Mid-America International Agri-Trade Council (MIATCO), an association of 12 state agricultural promotion agencies that helps mid-western U.S. companies promote food and agricultural products in foreign markets.

Commissioner Johnson is a member of First United Methodist Church. He, his wife Anita, and their family live in Bismarck.


Sincerely

Roger Johnson

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner

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