Today is the Day for Yes

De Smet farmers, Darcie and Rob Lee with their children, 3-year-old Everett and 6-month-old
Rosene. 
By Karla Hofhenke, SDFU Executive Director

“Yes” is a powerful word. And, like De Smet farmer, Rob Lee says, there is no real good time to says “yes.” But the benefits often outweigh the obstacles when it comes to making time for a good cause or purpose you believe in.

In Rob’s case, it is dedicating five weekends, together with his wife, Darcie, to further develop their leadership and advocacy skills as they represent South Dakota as members of the 2019 Farmers Union Enterprise Couples Leadership Program.

“We can always come up with reasons not to do things. But we accepted the fact that there will never be a good time to give up five weekends, so we prioritized this and we’re going to make it work because it is worth it,” Rob explains about the program developed to substantiate and empower future leaders for rural America and Farmers Union through leadership, citizenship and policy development training.

When we ask members of South Dakota Farmers Union why they invest $50 a year and their time participating in policy development at the county and state level or attending Legislative Day or the D.C. Fly-In – the most frequent response we receive is, “as farmers and ranchers, we need a voice, and SDFU gives us this voice.”

And, the state SDFU staff and board of directors work hard to make your voice heard – here in South Dakota as well as in D.C. But, we need your input. Share your thoughts and help us develop policy for 2020 by attending the State Policy Meeting, held in Huron, July 24 at the Crossroads Convention Center (100 4th St SW).

Another great opportunity to share is during the Young Producers Event, held July 19-20 in Oacoma – if you’re a member it’s free and if you’re not, it’s only $50 and that includes a year membership!

Want to learn more, give me a call, 605-352-6763 ext: 114 or e-mail: [email protected].