President Harold Grall’s Address

Harold Grall, President

It is with much heartfelt sincerity that I say what a privilege it is to be President of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District.   This honor is something I never strived for or thought to attain.  So I thank my fellow board members and staff for their vote of confidence.  To work with such a diverse group who are bound to represent their counties is always an exhilarating experience.  The North Plains is fortunate to have such strong leadership representing the area.  I am humbled that I am least, but again fortunate to serve with them.

Unlike our national leaders, we do not enjoy the luxury of “kicking things down the road,” and at the “end of the day,” we are required to make decisions that often require compromise. We realize that in our efforts to do the “right thing” as individuals we are bound by one common denominator, and that is, we are all on the same team.  We understand fully that decisions have consequences that include us as producers and our communities, so we take this personally because we know that any decision that impacts people economically is very personal.

The people of the area should feel confident that their board will never settle for mediocrity, and we will constantly challenge ourselves in this effort. Hopefully now we can move past the emotion that regulation brings about and work on constructive ways to help us all prosper now and in the future.  We know that we will continue to live in a world of scarcity, and even at an accelerated pace, and that it will be innovation not regulation that will equip us more in the years to come.

So, in the future, we will continue our efforts to partner with private industry and government agencies, bringing everyone to the table to come up with new ideas, which includes our most valuable resource… our Stakeholders. We will be relentless in our efforts to explore new technologies and farming practices that will be of benefit to the area.  We undertake all of these efforts, with the expectation of countering any burdens placed upon the people, while meeting our number one mandate… to conserve water for future generations.

Harold Grall speaks at the Perryton Grower’s Meeting on September 20, 2017.