These members care about policy because grassroots policy, voted on by farmers and ranchers, is what guides our organization’s lobbying efforts in South Dakota and Washington, D.C.,” said Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union and a fourth-generation Conde farmer.
Lobbying on behalf of policy put in place by family farmers and ranchers does make an impact, said NFU Vice President and Aberdeen farmer Jeff Kippley. “It speaks to our credibility as an organization because we are not controlled by any special interest groups,” Kippley said. “We are made up of more than 200,000 farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. These farmers and ranchers are the ones who set policy we can put into action.”
Kippley was elected during the 2022 NFU Convention and serves alongside West Virginia farmer and NFU President Rob Larew. During this convention, Kippley is running unopposed for a second term.
“The team of farmers leading our organization right now do an excellent job advocating for us because they understand the issues facing family farmers and ranchers because they are farmers. These issues impact them and their farms too,” said Sombke, who also serves as NFU Treasurer.
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Photo Credit: south-dakota-century-farms-and-ranches
Categories: South Dakota, General