Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024

January 17, 2024 Meeting Minutes | Fargo, ND

The State Board of Agricultural Research and Education met for a regular meeting on January 17, 2024. Present: Jim Bahm, Doug Bichler (virtual), Tom Bodine (representing Commissioner Doug Goehring), Pres. David Cook, John Dhuyvetter, Pam Gulleson, Larry Hoffmann, Sen. Jerry Klein, Greg Lardy, Sarah Lovas, Rep. Alisa Mitskog, John Nordgaard, Scott Ouradnik (virtual), and Julie Zikmund. Absent: Mark Urquhart.

Chair Lovas called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.

Approval of January 10-11, 2024 Meeting Minutes

MOTION: Pam Gulleson made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Sen. Jerry Klein seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Comments from Sarah Lovas, SBARE Chair

Chair Lovas reminded the board about the process for the prioritization.

Presentations

Several groups/individuals were invited to present to the Board supplemental information from their respective input testimonies. The presenters included Dr. Chris Augustin (Director of the Dickinson REC), Dr. Leon Schumacher (Chair of the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department), Dr. Guillermo Scaglia (Head of the Animal Sciences Department), Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald (Vice President for Research and Creative Activity), and Marc Wallman (Vice President for Information Technology).

Prioritization Process

The Board reviewed and ranked requests for NDSU Extension and the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), and capital improvement projects.

MOTION: Larry Hoffmann made a motion to remove the following items from further consideration in the prioritization process for the SBARE capital improvement list: swine facility, dairy barn, Dickinson REC feedlot, and greenhouse main station. John Nordgaard seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: John Dhuyvetter made a motion to remove the beef cattle precision management research facility from the SBARE capital improvement list. Pam Gulleson seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Sen. Jerry Klein made a motion to remove the designation of REC/potatoes from the machine shed funding from the SBARE capital improvement list. Julie Zikmund seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: John Nordgaard made a motion to remove the designation of ‘plant path’ from the equipment funding from the SBARE capital improvement list. Julie Zikmund seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Scott Ouradnik made a motion to remove fruit and wine from the SBARE AES initiative list. John Nordgaard seconded. Motion passed.

MOTION: Sen. Jerry Klein made a motion to remove bee and apiary, plant production protection initiative, and noxious weeds from the SBARE AES initiative list. President David Cook seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Pam Gulleson made a motion to remove retention from the SBARE AES initiative list. Rep. Alisa Mitskog seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Julie Zikmund made a motion to move biofuels into the carbon management/climate smart ag request, and remove soil microbiome research from the SBARE AES initiative list. Sen. Jerry Klein seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Sen. Jerry Klein made a motion to remove noxious weed specialist and western soybean specialist from the SBARE Extension initiative list. John Nordgaard seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: John Dhuyvetter made a motion to remove retention from the SBARE Extension initiative list. Pam Gulleson seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: John Nordgaard made a motion to move combine biofuels with carbon/climate smart from the SBARE Extension initiative list Larry Hoffmann seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Sen. Jerry Klein made a motion to add “leadership” to 4-H youth development and to remove aging in communities and leadership and civic engagement from the SBARE Extension initiative list. Pam Gulleson seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Pam Gulleson made a motion to remove precision livestock and precision ag crop from the Extension initiative list, and combine into one item titled precision agriculture. President David Cook seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Sen. Jerry Klein made a motion to adjourn the meeting. John Nordgaard seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 2:59 p.m.