Many South Dakota farmers and ranchers took time away from their crops and livestock to advocate for agriculture policy during the 2024 National Farmers Union D.C. Fly-In on Sept. 9-11.
“Our family farmers and ranchers need strong up to date agriculture policy to support the important work we do each day on our farms and ranches,” said Doug Sombke, South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) president and a fourth-generation Brown County crop and cattle farmer. “Not many policymakers grew up on farms or ranches, so it is important that they meet with the farmers and ranchers who do the work and hear our stories so that they understand why fair and transparent markets are important to us.”
As a grassroots policy organization, SDFU is also the state’s largest agriculture organization. During the Fly-In, more than 30 of its more than 18,000 members advocated for a farm bill that will include a competition title to:
• Increase price discovery and transparency in cattle markets.
• Require mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.
• Promote local, regional and value-added market opportunities and livestock processing.
• Strengthen enforcement of the Packers & Stockyards Act.
• Address climate change.
• Improve soil health.
“The farm bill guides so many programs that our family farmers and ranchers depend on and it is outdated—we need policymakers to pass a farm bill that represents our current needs,” Sombke said.
Throughout the three-day Fly-In, family farmers and ranchers met with USDA officials. They also had one-on-one meetings with policymakers.
“This is our opportunity to share our story, so that policymakers hopefully understand how the decisions they make in D.C. impact our lives and livelihoods here in South Dakota,” explained Aberdeen farmer Jeff Kippley.
Kippley serves as NFU vice president and is the vice president of SDFU. He and his wife, Rachel, operate a cattle and crop farm near Aberdeen. And together with his dad, John, and sister, Michelle, Kippley operates a tax service.
“In the work that I do for our tax business, I see the numbers from a lot of family farms,” Kippley explained. “And it’s not just our family farm that needs off-farm income to stay afloat financially, it is the majority of family farms.”
During the Fly-In, 41-year-old Clear Lake farmer, Jerad Goens said market uncertainty is the reason he asked congressional leaders to pass a farm bill.
“Risk management programs within the farm bill provide some security, and like most young producers, we don’t have a lot of capital, so we need these safety nets to help us manage weather extremes or market uncertainty,” Goens said.
Goens and his wife, Amanda, raise three young children on their farm. Amanda said she was eager to share their family’s farm story with policymakers. “If they hear our stories and realize we are real people, it will help them understand how the decisions they make impact us in real ways. I am hoping the conversations we have this week encourage them to pass a farm bill.” — Lura Roti for SDFU
