North Dakota House amends, passes HB 1371
The House passed a significantly amended version of House Bill No. 1371, which gives animal feeding operations more flexibility under the state’s corporate farming law. Before the bill left the House Ag Committee, NDFU secured an amendment that ensures family farmer or rancher control of new livestock operations. In a statement, NDFU President Mark Watne highlighted the organization’s neutral position on the amended bill and continued efforts “to protect family farmer and rancher control of animal agriculture.”
As amended, HB 1371 includes the following requirements:
- Family farmers or ranchers must own 75% of an authorized livestock farm (ALF) corporation and 51% of an ALF limited liability company;
- Officers and directors of an ALF corporation or managers and governors of an ALF LLC must be actively engaged in the operation;
- An ALF entity is limited to 160 acres of land, and no individual shareholder may hold an interest in ALF entities that own a combined total of more than 640 acres;
- ALF entities are prohibited from producing crops or grazing livestock;
- ALF entities are limited to 10 shareholders;
- Foreign entities, including subsidiaries of foreign companies, are prohibited from investing in ALF entities; and
- ALF entities are subject to the same reporting and enforcement standards as existing family farm corporations or LLCs
–North Dakota Farmers Union
