Goehring addressed the growing pressures on local producers, outlined his vision for revitalizing animal agriculture across the state, and called for regulatory reform to streamline agricultural permitting. Goehring pointed out that the federal Drought Monitor’s formula relies heavily on precipitation totals while failing to adequately account for extreme heat and pest pressure like grasshoppers. Bullish on Animal Agriculture and Value-Added FarmingDespite current weather challenges, Goehring remains strongly optimistic about expanding animal agriculture in North Dakota. Goehring argued that rebuilding animal agriculture creates a crucial value-added ecosystem for crop farmers who otherwise face steep freight charges and price discounts when shipping grain. “When you have value-added processing or animal agriculture, now you can sell feeds and grains right to these operations.”