The North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Education (SBARE) announces changes to its leadership for the upcoming year.

Mike Beltz of Hillsboro has been elected the chair of the board. He has been a board member since July 2010. Beltz, a long-time North Dakota producer, has served on the boards of the North Dakota Dry Bean Council, North Dakota Soybean Council and North Dakota Ag Coalition.

Keith Peltier of West Fargo was elected vice chair of the board. He has served on the board since July 2012. Active in agricultural and community organizations, Peltier is a board member of the Northern Canola Growers Association.

In addition, Lyle Warner and Brian Leier have been elected to four-year terms ending in 2017.

Warner owns and operates a livestock farm near Baldwin. He retired from Bismarck State College in 2009 after 27 years of teaching agribusiness as an associate professor of agriculture, technology and natural resources. He has participated in numerous local and statewide boards and advisory committees. He also has been recognized for his accomplishments with honors including induction into the NDSU Saddle and Sirloin Club Hall of Fame as Agriculturalist of the Year and given the highest honor of Master Sheep Producer by the North Dakota Lamb and Wool Producers Association.

Leier is a certified seed grower from Linton and has served on a variety of boards, including the Emmons County Crop Improvement and Seed Association as a director, Emmons County Farm Bureau as a board member, Carrington Research Extension Center advisory board member (county representative), Emmons County representative on the North Dakota Barley Council and Emmons County Soil Conservation district board member from 2000 through 2012.

Outgoing board members are Robert Bahm and John Bollingberg. Bahm and Bollingberg served in 2004-2013. The outgoing SBARE chair is Rodney Howe, whose term expires in 2015.

The board will begin actively working on business for the next legislative session at its meeting on Sept.12-13.

The State Board of Agricultural Research and Education was established in 1997 with responsibilities to oversee agricultural research and Extension at NDSU.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Aug. 14, 2013