South Dakota Farmers Union Disappointed with Noem’s Veto of Industrial Hemp

 As one of the state’s largest family farm and ranch organizations, South Dakota Farmers Union lobbied in favor of House Bill 1191 because of the much-needed market opportunities industrial hemp would provide to producers on both sides of the river.

 “The failure of the South Dakota Senate to override the Governor’s veto on House Bill 1191, is a crushing defeat for farmers and ranchers across South Dakota,” said Sombke, also a fourth-generation Conde farmer. “It doesn’t make sense.

Why would Governor Noem veto a bill legalizing industrial hemp, when as a representative, she voted for it in the 2018 farm bill?

When agriculture is our state’s number one economic driver, this veto shows a lack of forward thinking.

Companies were ready to purchase South Dakota’s hemp crop. This new crop would have provided new jobs and opportunities for South Dakotans during a time when many commodity markets are down, and family farmers and ranchers are looking for new opportunities.

It’s a sad day when South Dakota’s Governor’s does not understand the differences between hemp as a viable crop and marijuana an illegal plant.

As one of the state’s largest farm organizations, South Dakota Farmers Union will work to educate the legislature and the governor on these differences in hopes that an industrial hemp legislation will pass in 2020.”