South Dakota State Fair Celebrates a Century of Service during the South Dakota State Fair

September 8, 2015 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

HURON, S.D. – South Dakota Farmers Union celebrates 100 years of service to the state’s family farmers and ranchers today during the South Dakota State Fair in Huron.

 “Just as agriculture has changed over the last one hundred years, our role as an organization has changed,” said Doug Sombke, President of S.D. Farmers Union and a fourth-generation Conde farmer.

Sombke goes on to explain that when South Dakota Farmers Union was founded in 1915, the organization focused much of its energies to create cooperatives, where farmers could combine their commodities to secure better prices and also combined buying strength to get inputs at a better price.

 “We still support cooperatives but our role has changed to more of an advocacy role to meet the needs of South Dakota farmers and ranchers and their communities on a state and federal level,” Sombke says.

 Sombke was among the S.D. Farmers Union state staff who served cake to a large crowd of fairgoers.

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Last Modified: 09/08/2015 12:23:55 pm MDT