Lawmakers and Ag Commissioner Debate Protein Funding, FTEs and Mitigation Items in Department of Agriculture Budget Hearing

Representative Alisa Mitskog, who represents District 25 (Wahpeton), said during the Government Operations Appropriations Committee hearing on House Bill 1009 that she will prepare an amendment to add $2 million to the agriculture budget to buy protein for food pantries across North Dakota.

"I'm going to be preparing an amendment...for $2,000,000 for, food pantries across North Dakota for protein meat," Mitskog told committee members, saying local pantries report they get ample nonperishable donations but lack access to meat.

The request follows a $1 million appropriation in the prior biennium that the department used to distribute food through a main distributor, which the commissioner identified as Great Plains. Commissioner Doug Goehring, North Dakota agriculture commissioner, told the committee the program's intent was to increase protein access through farm-to-school and charitable food channels.

Goehring summarized the department's budget and program portfolio and highlighted several…