I hope this message finds you doing well and enjoying our gorgeous fall weather. While the days have been very pleasant, I don’t think any of us would mind some “rain” days. Drought has taken a heavy toll on our ag producers this year, especially our livestock producers who are scrounging hay and feed to get through the winter. I feel for them during this challenging time.

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I hope this message finds you doing well and finding some ways to stay cool during what seems to be an excessively hot and dry summer. Say a prayer for our ag producers especially those scrambling right now to find hay and forage for their livestock. It’s difficult to watch the countryside wilt.   

It’s hard to believe August is already here. Of course, that means your ICBND Convention Committee and staff are in the home stretch of preparation for our 53rd annual convention. We’re excited to be back in convention-mode after the doldrums of pandemic-ridden 2020. I hope you’re planning to attend the convention as it’s still not too late to register! I promise it will be fun and informative. As I’ve reported before, the format for the convention will be a bit different this year with a Monday through Wednesday schedule. And don’t forget to participate in Monday evening’s western theme party and PAC fundraiser which is sure to be entertaining.

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The 67^th Legislative Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature wrapped up in the very early morning hours of Friday, April 27 which marked the 76^th day of the session saving four days during the interim if there’s a need to reconvene. While we didn’t get everything we wanted from this session, independent community banking fared well and we will work hard in the interim voicing our advocacy message. I won’t belabor this message with details from the session as you’re probably just starting to recover from my weekly legislative updates the first four months of the year!

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Happy April everyone! We’ve had some early glimpses of spring after a very mild winter, but now we need some of those April showers for the May flowers. I’ve had numerous discussions with member bank ag lenders over the past several weeks. There are some pretty consistent themes across the state. First, most producers are better off right now than they were a year ago. And second, while it varies slightly, it’s too dry everywhere. Hopefully, Mother Nature provides some relief on the latter point.

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Happy 2021 everyone! I know this is going to be a great year and I hope it’s starting off that way for you and yours. Things in life are often relative and compared to a baseline. If 2020 is our baseline for evaluating 2021, then hallelujah! I like our chances for improvement. Covid cases are down and we’re seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with respect to this dastardly pandemic. I also know that 2021 will have its challenges, I just hope they aren’t the same challenges that we’ve faced the past almost year now.

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