Top state ag officials meeting in North Dakota

Top agriculture officials from a dozen states meeting in North Dakota for 4 days

MEDORA, N.D. (AP) -- Top agriculture officials from 12 Midwestern states are gathering in North Dakota.

The Midwestern Association of State Departments of Agriculture is holding its annual conference through early Monday in the Badlands town of Medora.

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says those at the meeting will get a close look at the state's two leading industries — agriculture and energy. Medora is in the booming western North Dakota oil patch.

Goehring is president of the association, which includes the top agriculture officials from the Dakotas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The conference will include panel discussions, field trips and speakers, including Deputy U.S. Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse.