Why North Dakota Needs HB 1318 Now More Than Ever
By: Elizabeth Burns-Thompson
North Dakota agriculture is facing a crisis—and it’s not coming from the weather. It’s coming from the courtrooms.
A wave of lawsuits is targeting the trusted crop protection tools North Dakota farmers have relied on for generations. These legal attacks don’t just disrupt daily operations—they threaten the future of our ag economy and the affordability of food for every North Dakotan.
The urgency is clear. Relentless lawsuits targeting crop protection tools are already sending shockwaves through the ag community—prompting manufacturers to consider pulling out of the U.S. market altogether. If these tools disappear, the consequences won't end at the farm gate—every household in North Dakota will feel the impact.
How did we get here? Trial lawyers are leaning on a discredited opinion from a World Health Organization subagency to push lawsuits that put American manufacturing, food production, and farm families directly in the crosshairs.
North Dakotans across both sides of the aisle are deeply concerned. A new Ag Insights Survey from the Modern Ag Alliance found that 81% of North Dakotans—including 83% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats—oppose lawsuits that threaten access to essential crop protection tools.
And the concern runs deeper than policy—nearly 8 in 10 North Dakotans say they’re worried that these lawsuits will lead to reduced crop yields and higher food prices—and they’re right. Crop protection tools are essential for growing the wheat, corn, soybeans, and sugar beets that power our $14 billion agriculture economy. Without them, research shows grocery prices could double—putting our food supply and every family who relies on it at serious risk.
This widespread concern reflects what North Dakota ag leaders and lawmakers already understand—and why they’re taking action. Lawmakers in North Dakota have advanced House Bill 1318—a commonsense measure that safeguards access to trusted crop protection tools by reaffirming the science-based federal standards farmers already follow.
The overwhelming, bipartisan support for this legislation is backed by the data—and the North Dakota House reflected the will of the people. In January, HB 1318 passed with a unanimous 88–0 vote. That kind of unity is rare, and it sends a clear message: North Dakotans want action. We hope the Senate has heard that message loud and clear—farmers and families across the state are counting on them to act swiftly.
Organizations including the Corn Growers, Soybean Growers, Grain Growers, Northern Canola, and Northern Pulse Growers Associations—along with Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring—are urging lawmakers to keep advancing this bill and continue standing strong with North Dakota farmers.
HB 1318 provides legal clarity by reinforcing existing federal pesticide labeling laws—rules that farmers know, follow, and depend on. And North Dakotans are clear: when it comes to issues like this, they want their leaders to back farmers, not trial lawyers. According to the same survey, 100% of farmers and 91% of all North Dakotans—including 93% of both Republicans and Democrats—say they’re more likely to support leaders who side with farmers on ag policy.
This isn’t just good policy—it’s smart politics.
North Dakota has always stood by the men and women who feed the nation. As HB 1318 moves to the Senate, the time to act is now. Farmers—and families—across our state are counting on our legislators.
Elizabeth Burns-Thompson serves as the Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance, where she leads the Alliance’s efforts to advocate for U.S. farmers’ continued access to essential crop protection tools.