ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 5, 2009

GOEHRING ANNOUNCES AG DEPARTMENT APPOINTMENTS

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has appointed four division directors in the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA).

“These appointments reflect an internal restructuring of the department and the filling of a vacancy,” Goehring said. “We have divided the Plant Industries and Executive Services divisions to better meet the department’s duties and responsibilities and to better serve our constituents.”

Goehring appointed Ken Junkert as director of Administrative Services. A 20-year NDDA employee, Junkert directed Executive Services from 1997 to 2006 before becoming director of the Plant Industries Division.

Administrative Services includes fiscal management, the Agricultural Mediation Service, contracting and procurement, Ag in the Classroom, human resources and emergency management.

Marketing has been renamed Business Development and continues to be directed by Chuck Fleming, NDDA’s former marketing coordinator and a former state representative from Hamilton. Business Development includes marketing, Pride of Dakota, local food development and renewable energy.

The director of Plant Industries is Judy Carlson, who joined NDDA in 1979 as a plant protection specialist and is the longtime director of apiary services, pesticide groundwater and Project Safe Send.

Plant Industries includes plant protection and survey, export certification, noxious weeds, apiary and nursery inspection and Waterbank.

Directing the Agriculture Chemical Division is Jim Gray, a former weed biologist with Dow AgroSciences, who joined NDDA in 2000 as a pesticide registration specialist.

The new division includes registration and regulation of pesticides, fertilizers, feed and livestock medicines, environmental science and Project Safe Send.

“I have also established the state veterinarian’s office as a separate division,” Goehring said. “The duties of the office, together with its staffing needs, calls for a separate management.”

The state veterinarian is responsible for enforcing the orders and rules of the State Board of Animal Health to protect the health of the domestic animals and nontraditional livestock in the state. Dr. Susan Keller is the state veterinarian.

Wayne Carlson remains director of the Livestock Development Division, which includes livestock auction and dealer licensing, dairy and poultry regulation, state meat and poultry inspection, livestock development, animal waste pollution prevention and Wildlife Services.

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MEDIA: For more information, please contact Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov.