S.D. Farmers Union Recognizes Legislators Kadyn Wittman & Michael Rohl for Service to Agriculture

By Lura Roti

Legislators Kadyn Wittman and Michael Rohl were recognized by South Dakota’s largest agriculture organization for their service to the state’s No. 1 industry during South Dakota Farmers Union Day at the Capitol, March 5.

“Policy put in place by our legislators impacts the lives of South Dakota’s family farmers and ranchers. It is obvious by their actions, that Rep. Wittman and Sen. Rohl understand this,” said Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union.

As a grassroots policy organization, South Dakota Farmers Union works hard to ensure that their members’ voice is heard in Pierre. During the 2025 Legislative Session, the organization’s lobbying efforts focused on property rights, right to repair farm equipment and access to affordable childcare.

Family farmers and ranchers had an opportunity to discuss these issues one-on-one with legislators during South Dakota Farmers Union Day at the Capitol.

“Every day of the session, our staff lobbies on behalf of the policy our members put in place. However, we understand the power of putting a face and family’s story to a policy, so each year we host a lunch in the Rotunda and invite our members to the Capitol to visit with legislators,” explained Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director of SDFU.

Get to know Rep. Kadyn Wittman

Sioux Falls’ Rep. Kadyn Wittman ran for office because she saw it as a way to help an underserved and overlooked population in her community.

“I lost my job when COVID-19 happened and the only place I could find a job was the Bishop Dudley House – a homeless shelter in my district,” Wittman said. “Before I worked there, I thought I had a good understanding of what navigating homelessness in South Dakota was. I did not have a clue.”

Access to a state ID card was among the barriers she learned homeless individuals faced when trying to lift themselves out of the cycle.

“How do you save $28 if you can’t get a job or a bank account? I wanted to run for office so I could get a bill passed that would make state IDs free to folks experiencing homelessness,” Wittman explained.

July 1, 2024 the law went into effect. As of December 31, 2024, 274 homeless South Dakotans received free state IDs.

“It was heartening to get bipartisan legislation across the line that will support lifting people out of the cycle,” Wittman said.

Supporting the people and issues found in her community is the reason Wittman ran for a second term.

Wittman said she sees community as a value that transcends the urban and rural divide. The urban legislator discovered this while serving on the state’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

“Wherever you are in South Dakota, you can create a support group and community that shares your values and vision about what you want your neighborhood or community to look like. And by working together you can make this a reality,” Wittman explained.

Wittman was asked to serve on the Ag and Natural Resources Committee her first term when Parade rancher Oren Lesmeister needed to step down after he was elected minority leader.

“I love a challenge,” Wittman said. “When people think I cannot do something it makes me work even harder, so every single night before the ag committee meetings, I would research the bills and prepare questions. I would show up to meetings over-prepared.”

While serving on the committee, Wittman made a point to understand the impact of ag policy by getting to know the state’s ag producers.

“Through my work on the ag committee, I have gained a deep appreciation for our agricultural community and the vital role South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers play in our state,” Wittman said. “I have learned from serving on the committee and my time in the Legislature, that our state’s agriculture and natural resources impact everyone in South Dakota – not just the folks who are farming and ranching.”

While visiting South Dakota producers on their farms, Wittman said in addition to learning about the work that ag producers do to produce food and fuel, she also learned about the investment farmers and ranchers make to care for the land and water.

“I learned that conservation efforts are not a democrat or republican issue,” Wittman said. “The producers I met care deeply about the land because their farms are multigenerational, family-owned and operated.”

During the 2024 Legislative Session, Wittman also supported a bill that prohibits the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines.

“The fact that landowners are fighting to protect their property rights – after seeing how some big corporations were trying to use financial opportunities to back these landowners into a corner – this does not sit well with me,” Wittman said. “I want to be able to protect our landowners as much as possible.”

Get to know Sen. Mike Rohl

“Oh honey, bartenders don’t become governors.”

It’s the comment that motivated Aberdeen business owner Mike Rohl to run for District 1 Senate seat in 2020.

“I was visiting with a customer while bartending, and she complained about something and I jokingly said, ‘well, when I become governor, I will fix that,’” said Rohl, who returned to Aberdeen to take over Rohly’s Bar from his dad, Pat, in 2017. “She began laughing uncontrollably for what seemed like forever. When she finally quit laughing, that’s when she told me I’d never become governor. And I guess I’m the type of individual who is motivated by someone telling me I can’t do something.”

After work that night, Rohl stayed up researching how he could run for office. Then he got to work. Five legislative sessions later, he has not quit. Since winning the District 1 Senate seat in 2021, he has authored 25 bills that have passed. Rohl has been recognized for his efforts outside the state as well. In 2022, he was named by the Council of State Governments Top 20 Leaders under age 40 in Government and in 2024, Rohl was named as one of the top 50 Leaders of Tomorrow by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.

Turns out, bartender is the perfect vocation if you want to understand what is important to your constituents.

“I talk to my constituents every day. They know I am their legislator, so they are not shy about letting me know what they think,” Rohl said. “Being a legislator isn’t about knowing everything, it’s about being able to listen to individuals and discern who is telling you the truth.”

Recently, landowner rights were top of mind for Rohl’s constituents – along with rural Brown County, he serves Roberts, Day and Marshall counties (the city of Aberdeen is not in his district.)

So, during the 2024 Legislative Session, Rohl worked to ensure at least 12 other legislators did not vote for Senate Bill 201. By doing this, the Senate bill could be referred by citizens to be put on the upcoming ballot so citizens could have the opportunity to vote.

“I’ve always been very landowner-rights orientated,” Rohl said. “And I have been good at reading the tea leaves. I knew the bill would pass, so I worked to ensure that enough legislators did not vote for it so that the people could refer it to a ballot measure if they wanted to.”

During the 2024 election, Referred Law 21 did not pass.

In addition to landowner rights, two other ag-related issues Rohl is currently working on are slowing down the spread of zebra mussels because of the damage they cause not only to lakes and streams they infest, but also to irrigation pumps. He is also working on a bill to provide property tax incentives for planting shelter belts.

“Agriculture is our biggest industry in District 1,” Rohl said. “And quite frankly, farming is literally the backbone of South Dakota and the nation because without a stable food supply, you don’t have the security and stability that you need.”

As the end of his fifth Legislative Session draws near, Rohl reflects on his future of service to South Dakota and said, “I do the best I can do today, and I do not worry about the next election. I am not trying to be a career politician.”

So, what about running for governor? “I am where my skillset is strongest. Being governor is so much about publicity and parades. I’d rather roll up my sleeves, read the law, figure out how to make it better.”