ND agriculture commissioner warns weak commodity margins, details department programs and disease, weed and market risks

Doug Goring, North Dakota agriculture commissioner, told the Legislative Budget Section that soaring production costs and overproduction in global markets have left many farmers with thin or negative margins.

“Our problem is the cost of production,” Goring said during his presentation to the committee, citing higher prices for inputs, parts and equipment and noting that an average North Dakota soybean break-even is about $10.32 a bushel while current prices are often lower. He gave a concrete example for corn: “The current break even for a bushel of corn is about $3.8. Current prices right now about $3.60.”

Goring said the department is watching several market and policy risks that could worsen the situation: geopolitical slowdowns in large buyers such as China; import flows that can flood U.S. markets when trade resumes; and federal biofuels exemptions that reduce the benefits of renewable-fuel demand. He warned that small‑refiner exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard have undercut intended biofuel support.

Why it matters: The presentation connected market signals…