Straight Talk with NDFB

As Season 11 of Policy on the Ground wraps up, Alisha Nord and NDFB Public Policy Director Calvin Benson look back at the season and discuss why agricultural policy matters to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. From data centers to the MAHA movement, the conversations throughout the season show how policy decisions can have a direct impact on farm operations and future generations. In this episode, Calvin explains how North Dakota Farm Bureau's grassroots policy development process wor...

The conversation around food and health is changing. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, GLP-1 medications, and social media are influencing what consumers eat, how they think about nutrition, and where they get their information about food. For North Dakota farmers and ranchers, those changing preferences could bring new market opportunities and challenges. In this episode of Straight Talk with NDFB: Policy on the Ground, host Alisha Nord visits with NDFB Public Polic...

Getting grain to market is a major part of doing business in North Dakota agriculture, and rail transportation plays an important role. Transportation costs, access to rail service, and competition among carriers all affect how North Dakota commodities move to market. In this episode of Straight Talk with NDFB: Policy on the Ground, host Alisha Nord sits down with NDFB Public Policy Director Calvin Benson to discuss rail transportation challenges facing North Dakota producers and the proposed...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in agriculture, helping farmers analyze field data, improve efficiency, and manage information. As the technology develops, it also raises questions about cost, data ownership, and security. In this episode of Straight Talk with NDFB: Policy on the Ground, host Alisha Nord sits down with NDFB Public Policy Director Calvin Benson to discuss how AI is being used in agriculture today and what farmers and ranchers should consider as the technol...

Finding enough workers continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture. As North Dakota farmers and ranchers look for ways to fill critical labor needs, many operations have turned to the H-2A program to bring in temporary agricultural workers with specialized skills. In this episode of Straight Talk with NDFB: Policy on the Ground, host Alisha Nord sits down with NDFB Public Policy Director Calvin Benson to discuss how the H-2A program works, why demand for agricultural labo...