Thompson ready to tackle Farm Crisis as North Dakota Ag Commissioner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 20, 2026

FARGO, ND – Former state lawmaker Vern Thompson announced today that he’s running for North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner. Thompson has already been endorsed by the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Executive Committee.

Thompson said, “I’m here to give a reality check. No sugarcoating. No political spin. Just the truth about costs, markets, ownership, and the Industrial Commission. North Dakota farmers and ranchers are facing the biggest farm crisis in 40 years.

Production agriculture isn’t just an industry. It’s $41.3 billion in economic activity. It’s 123,000 North Dakota jobs. It’s our identity. It’s our way of life, and right now, it’s in trouble.”

Originally from Minnewaukan, Thompson is an independent trucker and former farmer. In the North Dakota Senate, he served as Minority Caucus Leader.

Thompson continued, “Costs have exploded, and every farmer and consumer feels it. Fertilizer has doubled. Diesel fuel is over five dollars in parts of the state. Machinery prices are through the roof. Farmers are still trying to move last year’s soybeans. There are thousands of bushels sitting in wraps across North Dakota. Some elevators won’t even take them.

Farm debt is at record highs, and families are being pushed off their land. And who’s buying it? Not the next generation–many farm kids don’t see a future in farming. Instead, it’s billionaires and out‑of‑state corporations. It’s investors who have never set foot on a North Dakota field. Bill Gates, Scott Bessent, and Wall Street funds are buying up the land that built this state.

North Dakota deserves leaders who will stand up for family farmers and speak honestly about the crisis. We need someone who’ll fight to keep land in the hands of the people who work it: not corporations, not absentee investors or Wall Street. That is my reality check, and the reason why I’m running for ND Ag Commissioner.”