Thank you Dan! NDGGA Executive director retires
By: Erica Olson
Posted: Jun 19 2023
Dan Wogsland, North Dakota Grain Growers Association Executive Director, retired on June 1, 2023, after serving the organization and North Dakota wheat and barley producers for 19 years. Dan joined the organization in 2004. Prior to his role at NDGGA, he was a farmer himself, at Walum (near Hannaford), North Dakota, served as a North Dakota Senator for four terms, and as an Agriculture Legislative Assistant for Senator Byron Dorgan in Washington, DC. Those experiences made him a perfect fit for the NDGGA, which is the lobbying and representation organization for North Dakota wheat and barley. The North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC) contracts with NDGGA to aid their work in addressing domestic policy issues. Association efforts include the Farm Bill, crop insurance, disaster aid, conservation and regulatory overreach, all of which are important to North Dakota producers, their productivity, global competitiveness and continued profitability.
Neal Fisher, NDWC Administrator, says the long-standing partnership between the two groups has greatly benefitted producers in the state and surrounding region. “Dan’s considerable legislative experience in North Dakota and at the national level has been instrumental in moving well supported Congressional and local legislative policy to positive conclusions for our producers,” Fisher said. North Dakota agriculture interests also have a brighter future due to recent success in upgrading critical research and product promotion capabilities at NDSU, North Dakota’s Land Grant University. Most recent examples are the world class Peltier Complex and the Agricultural Field Labs projects adjacent to the NDSU campus in Fargo.
These long awaited upgrades will replace facilities that are decades beyond their intended purpose, bringing updated technological advancements, and increased capability to retain and attract talent to the world class research and development functions that have long been the hallmark of North Dakota’s agricultural identity. “Dan’s ‘actual farmer’ credentials and energetic nature, coupled with broad knowledge of the legislative process have earned him a high degree of respect in the agricultural policy arena, certainly a positive component in these transformational accomplishments for our state’s largest industry,” Fisher added. “We appreciate all that Dan has contributed and wish him and his family all the best in retirement.”