We can’t always count on the government to make the right decisions. We hope those decisions are made on factual science and factual statistics, and statistics that are not skewed. Our leaders have a tough job balancing the safety of our nation, the safety of our state, along with protecting those freedoms, those opportunities, and making sure that people have opportunity to be self-reliant.

Markets have taken a hit on top of already a half a dozen years of a stressed condition in agricultural markets, especially in the livestock side as of recent. Deeply falling markets are causing a concern, which in turn will cause a concern even more so in our feed production, our grain markets. Because if we’re forced to liquidate our livestock herds, our local and domestic demand for grains will also be impacted. There is a bright spot here and there. Wheat has taken a rally out of this, but a lot of that is because of weather in other areas of the world where it is produced.

So, I say this: Try and cut through the confusion. The best way to do that is, remember God does not create confusion. Evil creates confusion. This is the time to reflect, a time to do some deep soul-searching and a time to realize that we, as a people, need to reach down, pull up our boots, get back to work, be courteous and understanding of the concerns of others out there and talk to our political officials and let them know that we’re here to go forward as Americans, as North Dakotans, that we do care about the health of Americans. And in that health is everything from disease protection, to mental stability and financial stability. All three have to be considered in future decisions. And at NDFB, we stand behind our farmers and ranchers, the greatest producers in the world, right here, in North Dakota.