BISMARCK, N.D. — Conversations on big issues in agriculture and North Dakota’s rural communities are expected at the North Dakota Farm Bureau annual meeting later this month, and NDFB President Val Wagner is excited to see policy directions the organization’s members take.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard the words data center, at all, but, you know, we have
a lot of really hot button items that,
I think, it’ll be interesting to see what the conversation is around private property rights and how that all comes into play. So I’m really looking forward to what that conversation looks like and to see what our members set as our priorities for the next year,” said Wagner, who
and
is in her first year as NDFB president.
Monango is in south-central North Dakota near Ellendale, where Applied Digital has a data center.
North Dakota Farm Bureau will hold its 84th Annual Meeting Nov. 20-21 at the Bismarck Hotel and Conference Center. Voting delegates will consider resolutions that originated with members at the county level and advanced through District Resolution Meetings. Policy adopted at the Annual Meeting guides NDFB’s advocacy work in Bismarck and Washington, D.C. Resolutions with national implications move forward for consideration at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, Jan. 8-13, 2027, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Private property rights have always been a big part of NDFB, and the influx of plans to build data centers in the state are changing the conversation.
Courtesy / NDFB
“I think we’ve seen some sentiment at the local level turning a little bit, being more proactive of where they feel we should be as an organization,” Wagner said. “And one of the conversations that we’ve had as a state board is discussing those private property rights and determining, when we’re talking about private property rights, are we talking from the outside of your property, looking in? Or are we talking from the outside of your property, looking out? What does that look like, and how do we have that conversation?”
She also wants to make sure the conversation is not just reactionary around data centers but more nuanced around rural development.
“When you’re looking at some of the resolutions and different things that come forward, if you take the words ‘data center’ out, and you put the word animal agriculture in, if your tone is going to change, then maybe we need to have a further conversation about what that looks like, to make sure that we’re really putting forward our best foot and thinking this thoroughly through,” she said.
That might mean thinking through all of the issues to be consistent.
“That includes we need to make sure our zoning’s in place, and different things like that. All of the pieces of the puzzle come together, and that we’re just not saying no because we want to say no, that there’s a process. If we demand that there’s a process in place for agriculture, then we need to demand that there’s a process in place for others as well,” she said.
Another hot-button issue Wagner expects for the annual meeting is property taxes and property tax relief. She said NDFB held specific county-level meetings on the issue.
“I think some of the information within that should stir some conversation regarding, you know, where we want to be on that property tax conversation, if things have worked at the local level with the property tax cap, if we see some problems, all of those things, kind of reporting back on that and seeing where we want to be in the future,” she said.
Wagner said it’s important to her that the membership of NDFB sets the tone for the organization’s policies.
“I’m really hoping that we’re having some really thoughtful conversations about what that future looks like, because, you know, what we’re setting for this next year isn’t just the roadmap for the next 12 months. It really sets our organization on where we’re going to be in the future,” she said.
The annual meeting also will feature the Collegiate Discussion Meet Final, an evening social, and the Scholarship Live Auction. Members also will also elect leaders to the NDFB State Board of Directors and several committees during district caucuses over lunch on Nov. 21. The weekend will wrap up that evening with the annual banquet, followed by entertainment featuring country artist Dallas Pryor & The Lazy Wayne Band.
Registration is available online at
Jenny Schlecht is the director of ag content for Agweek and serves as editor of Agweek, Sugarbeet Grower and BeanGrower. She lives on a farm and ranch near Medina, North Dakota, with her husband and two daughters. You can reach her at jschlecht@agweek.com or 701-595-0425.