Property Rights Focus of South Dakota Farmers Union Legislative Day 2024

By Lura Roti for South Dakota Farmers Union

2024 is the first year Egan property owner Clayton Rentschler attended a South Dakota Farmers Union Legislative Day.

Rentschler has farmland in Moody County and he is concerned about his property rights.

“South Dakota Farmers Union are the only ones standing up for landowners who want to keep their property rights. That’s why I’m here today. To show support for property rights,” explained Rentschler, who joined the state’s largest agriculture organization because of their support for this issue.

Showing up in Pierre to highlight issues important to family farmers and ranchers is the purpose of Farmers Union annual Legislative Day. This year the event was held February 13. And like Rentschler, most members attending were concerned about property rights.

“This is about more than a pipeline, producers are concerned about their property rights because this is a case of eminent domain being used for private gain,” said Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director for South Dakota Farmers Union. “Farmers Union works for family farmers and ranchers. And we are not an insignificant group, we are nearly 19,000 farm and ranch families strong.”

The turnout for the event said South Dakota family farmers and ranchers have much to discuss with legislators. 

“There is strength in numbers,” explained Mike Miller a fifth-generation Freeman farmer. “When agriculture can show a unified front, it is powerful.”

Miller farms with his wife, Michelle Friesen. He makes time for Legislative Day because it provides him with a unique opportunity to sit down and have conversations with the state’s decision makers.

“It’s a way for me to stay up to date on current issues and share how these issues impact us on our farm,” Miller said.

Colome farmer Joel Keierleber agreed. “This is a better opportunity than a Cracker Barrel to talk about what matters to us as farmers because we are here together. I visited with legislators about property rights because landowner rights go beyond the pipeline. I’m not impacted by the pipeline, but I attended Legislative Day because if we don’t stand up for property rights, we will lose them. Right now, the county over is facing a different property rights issue – where an entity other than the landowner is wanting to decide how private land should be used.”

Hearing from citizens is essential, said Minority Leader and Parade rancher Oren Lesmeister. “Face-to-face conversations are best. When rural South Dakota shows up to protect agriculture from bills that could have even unintended consequences, it shows they care and they are passionate about the issues. This does have an impact.”

To help facilitate conversations between agriculture producers and legislators, Farmers Union sponsored a meal in the Capitol Rotunda.

“Sitting down to share a meal with someone provides a less intimidating opportunity to discuss thoughts on issues that impact us on our farms or ranches,” Hofhenke said.

In keeping with the theme of Farmers Union Legislative Day, the hearty, homecooked meal was catered by Polo farmer, Cheryl Schaefers.

During the meal, Larry Zikmund, District 14 State Senator from Sioux Falls sat with De Smet farmer, Rob Lee. Although the men are a generation apart in age, Zikmund and Lee immediately found common ground – they are both Veterans. Lee served in the Army National Guard and Zikmund served in the Air Force.

Zikmund said he appreciated the opportunity this Legislative Day provided to him as a policymaker to connect with a farmer.

“I am a strong believer in making sure I have input from people before making decisions – the more people I get input from, the better,” said Zikmund, who grew up on farm but spent much of his career in education, as a teacher and school administrator.

Legislative Day 2024 also provided attendees with an opportunity to see first-hand how policy is made. Attendees sat in on a committee hearing in the morning and then watched as legislators discussed bills during the afternoon’s House Session.

“I have been following one of the bills they were talking about,” said Chaz Blotsky, 19, is an agriculture business major at Mitchell Technical College. “Because the topic hit close to home, it made the process more real.”

Blotsky was actively involved in South Dakota Farmers Union educational programming throughout high school and he was one of four youth members to attend the event. Other youth who attended are: Madisyn Raymond, Ethan; Aerial Eitreim, Sioux Falls; Sean Thompson, Pierre.

Connecting rural youth with the legislative process is among the goals of the day, said Samantha Olson, South Dakota Farmers Union Education Program Specialist. “These youth are leaders. It is important for them to understand the process because as leaders, they could be our state’s next generation of legislators. And it is important for them to see this side of the process – as a citizen who elects the legislators.”

Legislative Day is one of many opportunities South Dakota Farmers Union provides to rural youth, family farmers and ranchers.

“As a Farmers Union member, I feel like my voice is heard,” said Ipswich crop and cattle farmer, Sarah Perrion. “Today, in Pierre I have talked to legislators about protecting our property rights because if laws are not put in place to protect us today, what is to stop another private interest, like a solar farm from taking land away from farmers or even small, rural communities, like Ipswich?”

Through their involvement in South Dakota Farmers Union, Perrion and her husband, Lance have gained advocacy training and experience. Each year the organization brings a group of South Dakota producers to Washington, D.C. The National Farmers Union Fly-In provides another chance for producers to discuss issues that are important to their farms and ranches with policymakers. To learn more, visit www.sdfu.org.