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Sharing capitol ideas

Midwestern Legislative Conference

The Council of State Governments

Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Bismarck, North Dakota

Sessions and Agenda

Senator Donald Schaible, North Dakota, and Senator Mary Jo W ilhelm, Iowa, c o-chairs

Saturday, July 11

1:45 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

2015 Site Visit

The day prior to the official start of the Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting, you
will have the chance to visit agricultural production facilities in the Bismarck area. W e w ill be
visiting one of the premier Angus Seed Stock ranches in the nation as well as the ranch named
the 2014 Rodeo Stock Contractor of the Year. You do not have to be appointed to the MLC
Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee to participate; spouses and guests are welcome to
take part in the site visit as w ell. Dinner is included. Those wishing to attend the evenings
Canadian Dinner will be provided a ride back to the hotel before dinner. Separate registration
is required. To register, contact Carolyn Orr at corr@sarl.us.

Sunday, July 12
Noon 12:45 p.m.

Working Lunch, Introductions and Roundtable Discussion of Issues

1:00 p.m. 1:40 p.m.

Agriculture Economic Outlook

Agriculture is influenced by natural cycles that result in high production volatility. Both local and
global economic cycles have a dramatic impact on agricultural income. States in the Great Plains
experienced some of the lowest rates of employment loss during the recession and currently have
some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, but times are changing. Commodity c rop
prices are at the point of being below the cost of production, while the cattle industry is seeing
record profits, hog prices are falling after last years highs, and the poultry industry is getting hit
with avian influenza. How will all of this impact agriculture and the rural communities of the
Midwest?

Frayne Olson, Ph.D., North Dakota State University, will provide an overview of the next several
years of the agriculture economy.

1:45 p.m. 2:30 p.m.

Avian Influenza: Just the Latest in Livestock Disease Issues
More than 200 separate cases of H5 avian influenza have been confirmed by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture since December, mainly farms in the Midwest, affecting upward of 46 m illion
chickens and turkeys. The overwhelming majority of affected birds are egg-laying hens. The cost
to Iowa and Minnesota will exceed $1 billion. This follows the outbreak of the Porcine epidemic
diarrhea virus that resulted in the death of 5 m illion baby pigs last year.

Dr. Bill Hartmann, Minnesota state veterinarian, will discuss the lessons learned for states in
dealing with animal disease outbreaks.

Dr. T.J. Myers, USDA-APHIS, will discuss how the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service works to prevent invasive disease outbreaks and helps states in d ealing with
outbreaks.



The Debate on Renewable Fuels Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for developing and implementing regulations
to ensure that transportation fuel contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel. Depending on
the viewpoint, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program is either a success story thats fueling

2:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.

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American jobs and providing consumers greater choice at the pump, or it is irreparably broken
and increasing the cost of diesel and gasoline. We will look at both sides with:

Dave Juday CEO of the Juday Group; and

John Fuher, Growth Energy

3:30 p.m. 4:15 p.m.

State Investments in Water Quality

The issue of water quality across the Midwest is important to residents, farmers and regulators.
Different states are responding in different ways. We will discuss how three states are addressing
water issues.

Representative Rick Hansen, Minnesota

Senator David Johnson, Iowa
Representative Mike Brandenburg, North Dakota

4:15 p.m. 4:30 p.m.

Discussion of Committee Business
Consideration of proposed resolutions

4:30 p.m.

Adjourn

Tuesday, July 12

2:00 -3:15 pm

Livestock Siting: Issues, Challenges and Options (Public Policy Roundtable)

Every Midwestern state has livestock siting regulations, some m ore than a decade old, and m any
of these rules have survived legal challenges. But now states are finding that the livestock
industry is having problems expanding to meet the growing demand for animal protein. How do
the regions siting regulations compare and contrast, and how can the livestock industry grow
within the constraints of these rules?

Eldon L. McAfee, Brick Gentry Law