Committee advances bill moving farm management education to Agriculture Department

The House Agriculture Committee gave Senate Bill 2,274 a due-pass recommendation and referred the measure to appropriations after supporters said moving the Farm Management Education program into the Department of Agriculture will better connect instructors with farmers and the department’s mediation and credit counseling services.

Sen. Greg Kessel, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, told the committee the program "was created to enhance farm operation management and prepare those interested in farming" and that moving the program into the Department of Agriculture would provide "additional insights and services" to support participants. Madison Bodine, Ag Services and Development Specialist speaking for Agriculture Commissioner Goring, and Wade Sick, director of Career and Technical Education (CTE), both testified the program has worked closely with the statewide mediation service and that the transition had been discussed with CTE leadership.

Jason Feil, a farm management instructor based at Lake Region State College, described how instructors operate at community colleges and work individually with producers for year-end analyses, enterprise comparisons and credit counseling. Feil said recent enrollment has fallen (551 different farmers and ranchers assisted in the most recent year) partly because of instructor turnover and that the Department of Agriculture’s network could help recruit more participants.

Representatives on the committee discussed whether the program should instead be housed at North Dakota State University (NDSU) or the extension service. Supporters said the Department of Agriculture better aligns with the mediation and credit counseling function and can better market the program to adult farmers; critics urged broader discussion with NDSU, citing the university’s research and extension infrastructure and its statewide networks.

After debate the committee adopted a motion to pass the bill and refer it to appropriations; the roll call recorded 11 yeas, 3 nays. Committee members also asked for fiscal details about the program and the reported $1,900,000 figure mentioned during testimony; staff said more specifics could be provided to the committee.

If enacted, the Department of Agriculture would assume administrative authority previously exercised by CTE; witnesses said instructors and local college-based delivery would continue, and no immediate changes to curriculum were proposed.