Proposals to move the Agricultural Products Utilization Committee (APUC) and authority over grain buyers to the North Dakota Agriculture Department remain alive in the North Dakota Legislature, reports AgWeek.
House Bill 1467 would move authority over grain traders to the Agriculture Department from the Public Service Commission.
Rep. Dennis Johnson, R-Devils Lake, did not mention by name the case of Hunter Hanson, 21, a roving grain buyer now facing millions of dollars in claims against his businesses, when he spoke on the House floor. He referred to a present case, however, that was a "failure" by the PSC to provide safeguards for farmers.
The grain industry is regulated in 38 states, and in 34 of those states, it is the respective state's agriculture department doing the regulating, Johnson said.
