Today, the North Dakota Senate passed House Bill 1318—critical legislation that would ensure farmers’ continued access to the essential crop protection tools that help sustain our nation’s food supply. Once the bill is re-approved by the House, which previously passed it unanimously in January, North Dakota will join Georgia as the second state to pass legislation on a bipartisan basis this year.
“Farmers are grateful to the North Dakota Senate for taking strong action to protect the critical tools needed to grow the food and fuel we all rely on,” said Modern Ag Alliance Executive Director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson. “If farmers lose access to key crop protection technologies, it will cripple their ability to compete and cause food prices to rise even higher. Today’s overwhelming vote is a signal to other states to stand up for farmers and ensure these essential farming inputs remain available.”
HB 1318 reasserts that federally approved pesticide labels are the law and that companies cannot be subject to relentless litigation for following the law. Specifically, it ensures that any pesticide registered with the U.S. EPA—and sold under a label consistent with the EPA’s own determinations—is sufficient to satisfy state label warning requirements for health and safety.
The Modern Ag Alliance’s recent Ag Insights Survey found that 81% of all North Dakotans—including 90% of farmers, 83% of Republicans, and 86% of Democrats—oppose litigation that could limit access to crop protection products. The legislation is also supported by North Dakota’s leading agricultural organizations:
ND Corn Growers Association
ND Department of Agriculture
ND Farm Bureau
ND Farmers Union
ND Grain Growers Association
ND Soybean Growers Association
Northern Canola Growers Association
Northern Pulse Growers Association
Crop protection tools are the backbone of modern farming, helping growers maintain high yields and low costs, and implement conservation practices. These products are essential to North Dakota crop production, especially wheat, corn, soy, and sugar beets—key contributors to the state’s $14 billion agricultural economy.
“Farmers deeply appreciate the leadership of Senators Greg Kessel, Paul Thomas, Mark Weber, and David Hogue as Senate co-sponsors of HB 1318,” said Burns-Thompson. “With HB 1318 now on its way to the governor’s desk, we look forward to officially reasserting that the label is the law in North Dakota.”
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