Posted 03/24/2025

For immediate release:

March 24, 2025

For more information, contact:

Randy Schmitt, NDSA president: (701) 537-3440 • schmittranch@hotmail.com

Julie Ellingson, NDSA executive vice president: (701) 223-2522 • jellingson@ndstockmen.org

Young Cattlemen’s Legislative Conference exposes

producers to legislative process

Eleven rising young stars in the state’s beef cattle industry participated in the 2025 North Dakota Stockmen’s Association’s Young Cattlemen’s Legislative Conference (YCLC) March 19-20 in Bismarck, N.D. This year’s participants included Luke and Elli Ressler of Hillsboro, N.D.; Kyle and Larissa Schultz of Embden, N.D.; Aaron and Jessi Subart of Robinson, N.D.; Logan Behm of Beulah, N.D.; Erick and Fallon Leiseth of Arnegard, N.D.; and Nathan and Evie Johnson of Upham, N.D. They were accompanied by NDSA President Randy Schmitt of Rugby, N.D.; NDSA Vice President Tim Erbele of Streeter, N.D.; NDSA District 4 Director Riley Schriefer of Golden Valley, N.D.; and staff.

The YCLC delegates were selected by the NDSA Board of Directors for their leadership potential and involvement in the North Dakota beef industry.

“The Young Cattlemen’s Legislative Conference provides a foundation of knowledge about the industry, the association and the legislative process for these young producers,” said Schmitt. “It also connects them with key decision-makers and a network of peers who share their passion for and commitment to the cattle industry.”

During the two-day short course, YCLC delegates learned more about the NDSA’s work, the role of the North Dakota Legislative Council and the State Board of Animal Health. They met with House and Senate Agriculture Committee, Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Industry and Business Committee and Senate Transportation Committee members, attended committee hearings, sat in on the House and Senate floor sessions and – a highlight – discussed rural issues in a meeting with Gov. Kelly Armstrong.

“The cattle industry is one of the state’s economic pillars,” explained Schmitt. “Grassroots producer engagement with lawmakers, like YCLC provides, is critical to underscore its significance, develop relationships and create understanding about issues that matter to cattlemen and women and rural communities.”

About the participants:

Luke and Elli Ressler, Hillsboro, N.D. – Luke and Elli Ressler farm south of Hillsboro, N.D., with Elli’s parents, Randy and Julie Lemm. The couple raises corn, soybeans, barley, sunflowers and flax and has a beef feedlot, where they custom feed and have a Hereford cow-calf herd. Resslers focus heavily on soil health and utilize cover crops for grazing and to limit water and wind erosion. Their daughter, Reagan, will be 4 in May.

Kyle and Larissa Schultz, Embden, N.D. – Kyle and Larissa Schultz, in partnership with Kyle’s parents, Ryan and Kristi, operate a mixed grain and cattle enterprise near Embden, N.D., consisting of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa and an Angus cow-calf herd and beef finishing operation. The Schultzes take every calf born on their operation to finish. They utilize all the feedstocks grown on their own operation in addition to purchased distillers grains. Kyle and Larissa have four kids – Caroline, 5; Ty, 3; Ryder, 2; and Lyla, 1 month. The Schultzes live on Kyle’s great-great-grandfather’s farmstead, which makes their children the sixth generation on the 100-plus-year-old operation.

Aaron and Jessi Subart, Robinson, N.D. – Aaron and Jessi Subart are fourth-generation ranchers on the Subart family farm near Robinson, N.D., where they raise Angus cow-calf pairs and small grains. They are in the process of taking over the farm from Aaron’s parents. They have three boys – Easton, 6; Carson, 4; and Hudson, 2. Jessi works part-time as an agriculture/commercial loan officer at First Security Bank West in Robinson, N.D., and spends her spare time helping on the ranch. Along with full-time ranching, Aaron also does custom artificial insemination (A.I.) breeding for ABS Global.

Logan and Maci Behm, Beulah, N.D. – Logan is a fifth-generation rancher in Mercer County. He operates a cow-calf, backgrounding and stocker operation with his parents, Larry and Aneica, along with his wife Maci and their two kids, Tenley, 5, and Layton, 2. Their cowherd consists primarily of Hereford cows and a few Angus. They background their steers and sell them in the spring at Stockmen’s Livestock in Dickinson. They also sort the home-raised heifer calves, A.I. the front end and sell them as bred heifers the following winter. They also buy steers and heifers to background and develop either into grass cattle or to breed and sell, depending on market conditions. The heifers are sorted for quality, and the front end are bred via A.I. with clean-up bulls turned out later. The steers are sold in September, and the heifers are sold throughout late fall and early winter. Behms grow all their own feed besides distillers. The majority of their crops are grown for feed, but they do mix in a cash crop for rotation purposes.

Erick and Fallon Leiseth, Arnegard, N.D. – Erick and Fallon Leiseth have two children, Banks and Lenni. Erick and Fallon both graduated from North Dakota State University. Fallon majored in human development and family sciences, and Erick majored in agriculture economics. They farm and ranch north of Arnegard, N.D., alongside Erick’s parents, Jason and Peggy, and brothers, Brady and Tyler. They run a commercial cow-calf operation utilizing Red Angus and Salers genetics. The steers get sold off the cow at weaning time, and they background the heifers around 100 days. Then, they sort them and keep the replacements to breed. They grow alfalfa, hay barley and corn for forage. Other crops they grow include spring wheat, peas and lentils. Fallon also works full-time as a therapist in Williston, N.D.

Nathan and Evie Johnson, Upham, N.D. – Nathan and Evie Johnson have been married for eight years and have three kids – Ainsley, 7; Corbitt, 5; and Laramie, 2. They ranch north of Granville, N.D. In Fall 2020, they bought their first set of commercial bred heifers. Since then, they’ve been fortunate to expand their herd and even add some goats to the mix. Nathan started his own repair business in Fall 2023, which keeps him closer to home and able to manage things on the ranch easier. Evie also works in Minot, N.D., at the local elevator, managing the feed department. There, she samples feedstuffs, builds rations and makes nutrition recommendations for all classes of livestock.

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