(HURON, SD) — A mix of state and national issues, conservation, markets, weather and more are all on tap for discussion during the 109th annual South Dakota Farmers Union State Convention this week in Huron.
Speaking on Tuesday’s Agriculture of America (AOA) program, SDFU President Doug Sombke highlighted some of the keynote speakers and more. “We’re going to have Beth Thompson, the state veterinarian, talk to us again,” says Sombke. “We had her last year. It was a really good discussion, keeping us up to date on what’s happening as far as the bird flu, what’s happening in the dairy industry that way, and also some of the other things dealing with the electronic identification things and that kind of stuff.”
The event will also feature a weather outlook with Eric Snodgrass from Conduit and a market outlook with economist Matt Roberts. And, a conversation on a many hot topics including regenerative agriculture. “We’re going to have Jared Knock, he’s with AgSpire,” added Sombke. “They’re going to be talking about the regenerative agriculture. I mean, this has been a pretty hot topic.
Other hot topics for this year’s SDFU convention include tax reform, eminent domain, childcare and the Farm Bill. “One of the problems in South Dakota is, you know, our taxes are just like any place, right? They’re too high and we don’t have enough revenue for local government and schools and that kind of thing,” says Sombke. “And so we’re going to have a discussion with the Chamber of Commerce, David Owens, and then also from the Bankers Association, Carl Adam. And then from the Retailers Association, Matt Krogman. And we also had a late entry to that recently, this last week, Representative Van Heusen, Tony Van Heusen, has developed a bill talking about lowering the valuation of property, especially owner-occupied.”
Members will also be electing their delegates for the national convention in Oklahoma City this March and recognizing agriculture leader and youth during convention. Convention is happening December 11th and 12th at the Crossroads Hotel and Huron Events Center in Huron, SD. Find more details here: https://sdfu.org/109th-annual-convention/
Also, hear our full conversation with SDFU President Doug Sombke below:
And hear the full AOA program from Tuesday below:
