Rural Lobbyist: Agriculture and Conservation Both Win With SB 136.

February 12, 2016 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

 Not all news was bad news on Thursday as farmers found an ally in conservation with Senator Jim Peterson’s Senate Bill 136. If passed, SB 136 would provide an incentive to producers to plant perennial vegetation buffers within 50 ft. of lakes, ponds, and streams.

The incentive would come in the form of a property tax adjustment on that land within the 50 ft. of those lakes, ponds, and streams. Specifically the bill would change the way land was assessed for tax purposes. All land, within that 50 ft. buffer, that is planted in perennial vegetation would be assessed as non-cropland.

Considering that the land surrounding the lakes, ponds, and streams often contains high rated soils, a non-cropland assessment would provide a considerable incentive for these conservation practices. Proponents of this bill praised the advantages of conservation. The buffers would serve as a filtration system protecting South Dakota’s water supply through our lakes, ponds, and streams.

In my own testimony I noted that agriculture often gets a bad reputation when it comes to conservation practices and the environment. SB 136 is an act of good faith reminding our urban neighbors that we, in agriculture, are strong stewards of the land. Opponents argued that the bill would create a tax shift, creating higher tax rates on other portions of land. Another opponent was concerned that the legislation represents another step towards “actual use” taxation in South Dakota. However the concerns of water quality and conservation outweighed concerns of dollars and cents as the Senate Ag and Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 136 out of committee to the Senate floor.

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Last Modified: 02/12/2016 6:55:53 pm MST