Roger Johnson
14th President of the National Farmers Union
In office
2009–2020
Preceded byTom Buis
Succeeded byRob Larew
5th North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner
In office
1996 – April 6, 2009
GovernorEd Schafer
John Hoeven
Preceded bySarah Vogel
Succeeded byDoug Goehring
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceTurtle Lake, North Dakota

Roger Johnson is past president of the National Farmers Union, and the immediate past North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner.[1] He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. As of 2021, he is the most recent statewide elected Democrat to serve in the North Dakota state government.

Early life, education, and early career

Johnson grew up on a farm in Turtle Lake, North Dakota.[2] He earned a BA from North Dakota State University in 1975 and did graduate work for two years. He then started farming, while working as a farm credit counselor. In 1988 he was asked by Sarah Vogel, the Agriculture Commissioner at the time, to work for her and run the state's Agricultural Mediation Program, which helped farmers resolve financial problems with creditors. He resigned in 1996, when he ran for North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner.

Political career

Johnson was first elected Agriculture Commissioner in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2004, and 2006. The election in 1996 was one of the closest in North Dakota history. Johnson earned 129,423 votes, while GOP candidate Dina Butcher earned 129,140 votes.[3] He ran against Clare Carlson in 2000.[4] He ran against GOP candidate Doug Goehring in 2004, winning by a little over 1,800 votes. Goehring did not demand a recount.[5] Johnson faced a rematch against Republican Goehring in the 2006 election, winning by a wider margin than in 2004. He resigned as Agriculture Commissioner in 2009 to become president of the National Farmers Union.[6]

He served as the president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) from 2007 to 2008. While president, Johnson helped craft the 2008 Farm Bill.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Department History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-16.
  2. ↑ "Roger Johnson". Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Official Abstract of Votes Cast at the General Election Held November 5, 1996" (PDF). vip.sos.nd.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-15. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  4. ↑ Evenson, Samantha (December 6, 2017). "Trump Administration Appoints Clare Carlson to Serve as State Director for USDA Rural Development in North Dakota". USDA Rural Development. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ MacPherson, James (November 3, 2004). "No recount in ag commissioner race". The Bismarck Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "N.D. ag commissioner Johnson submits resignation letter". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Roger Johnson". National Farmers Union. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2013.


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