U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited a ranch near Bismarck and said soil health determines human health, while promoting off-ramps toward less chemical-intensive agriculture.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited North Dakota on Thursday to participate in roundtables with state and tribal leaders focused on regenerative agriculture, tribal health, the Rural Health Transformation program and the regulatory burden on long-term care providers.
The day included a roughly 90-minute roundtable on regenerative agriculture at the Black Leg Ranch east of Bismarck and a 30-minute conversation on rural health. Joining Kennedy were Interior Secretary and former governor of the state Doug Burgum; Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven; Gov. Kelly Armstrong; Rep. Julie Fedorchak and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, among others.
At Black Leg Ranch, reporters were allowed in for only 15 minutes of the roundtable. During that portion, Kennedy said soil health is vital for the human gut and that it dictates "health, emotions, moods, energy levels and our effectiveness in life."
"If we can keep that healthy, we can maintain public health. It's hard to keep it healthy if the nutrients that are supposed to be in the soils are not making it into the plants, and then onto our tables or our plates," he said.
The official said farm chemicals are hurting the soil and destroying its microbiome, and that they contribute to health problems such as increased cancer rates from nitrates linked to runoff from fertilizers and chemical pesticides. "Anything that we can do to reduce the intensity of chemical agriculture is just going to be good for the farmer all around," he said.
Kennedy said the Trump administration is pursuing policies to offer "off-ramps" to farmers who want to transition to less chemical-intensive agriculture "if they want them." Farmers, he added, have to be conservative to survive and "don't want to do something unless they know it's going to work."
The secretary cited Black Leg Ranch, held by the Doan family since 1882, as a model of regenerative agriculture. Jerry Doan said the ranch tries to mimic natural grazing patterns. "We had this abundant grassland, and season-long grazing has eroded that," he said, adding that better grazing management can improve species diversity and water quality and make grasslands more lush.
Kennedy also said U.S. children are unhealthier now than when his uncle John F. Kennedy was president in the early 1960s, and he cited increases in type 2 diabetes, autism and obesity. He also linked "an epidemic of depression and behavioral problems" to food in the United States. "We all need to focus on how do we get our food again to be the highest quality in every way... It's going to start from good soil. Good food, good soil, good human health," he said.
Darrell Oswald, manager of the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District and an attendee at the event, said officials and producers need to recognize that "we're working with a degraded resource," but that there are ways to fix it. "When we talk about regenerative agriculture, we're talking about a more natural system and using the soil health principles to drive the system and build back, if you will, the carbon, the nutrients, the soil organic matter, the microbiome, the microorganisms in the soil; that's what regenerative agriculture is all about," he said.
Former Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, founder of Wozu — a tribal food and culture effort on the Standing Rock Reservation — called the roundtable a step forward. "Because when we start looking at the land as a source of life and not as a resource — and that's what regenerative agriculture is — it's going to create better health for our communities and better health for our bodies," he said.
Archambault noted that Wozu began with land regeneration and then took on initiatives such as returning buffalo to the land and programs in cultural arts, wellness, food sovereignty and outdoor stewardship. "I think Indigenous peoples have always had the relationship and the connection to the land, and for somebody like the secretary to come and to hear, it was just an honor," he added.
The day continued with a 30-minute roundtable on rural health that included former first lady Kathryn Burgum, state lawmakers and representatives of hospitals, long-term care facilities and health care associations. They discussed ways to help people recover from addiction, seeking more flexibility for applicants for federal rural health funds and staffing rural hospitals.
Wade Peterson, Trinity Health vice president of long-term care and ancillary services, asked to eliminate some COVID-era regulations, such as reporting cases weekly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're still having to do a lot of COVID things. I'd like to see that eliminated. The health emergency's been over for three years," he said.
"Make a list. Get it to me. We'll get rid of them," Kennedy responded.
Gov. Armstrong valued the presence of federal officials in the state. "We're always happy when we get guys from the administration out here... We like to show off North Dakota with anybody who takes the time to visit, and we're excited to have him," he said.
