Union Farmer Legislative News By Mike Traxinger Legislative Director
The 88th legislative session opened Tuesday, Jan. 8 in Pierre with the governor’s annual State of the State address. Being sworn in this year is one of the largest classes of new state legislators in the history of the state of South Dakota. The new group will consist of 33 newly-elected members, five former members who were not in the last Legislature and five former House members that will now be in the Senate. I hope you will take a moment and get to know them by reading through their biographies in this issue of the Union Farmer beginning on page 10. It will be imperative that SDFU has a strong voice during the session this year. There are many issues that are facing the agriculture industry in the upcoming session including decisions affecting the assessment of agricultural land for tax purposes, animal welfare, an expansion of Medicaid, funding agriculture research at South Dakota State University, livestock development, oil and gas issues, predator management, the Public Utilities Commission, the state brand board, and watershed management. SDFU’s annual Legislative Day will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 29. Each county is encouraged to send a vehicle of farmers and ranchers to this important event at our state Capitol. We will begin the day at 9:30 a.m. CST in the South Dakota Education Association (SDEA) Building located at 411 East Capitol in Pierre, directly south of the Capitol building. At 9:45 a.m. we will make our way over to the Capitol and attend one of the following committee meetings that begin at 10 a.m.: Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources; Senate Commerce and Energy; House Local Government; or House Transportation. At noon we will have lunch with our state legislators at the SDEA building where we will hear from them about current issues affecting the agricultural industry. We will also present our annual “Outstanding Legislative Leader” awards to two legislators who have demonstrated a service and commitment to the agriculture industry. In the afternoon we will return to the Capitol to attend legislative caucus meetings at 1 p.m. and the general legislative session at 2 p.m. SDFU members are encouraged to stay throughout the day. Please RSVP to mtraxinger@sdfu.org or call me at 605-377-4110 if you know you will be able to attend. As policy issues arise or you have questions about the legislative session in Pierre, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you and continue working on your behalf.
6
January 2013
By NFU President Roger Johnson
Greetings from Washington and Happy New Year! January will be a busy time in Washington D.C., as the 113th Congress convenes in early January while the inauguration of President Obama takes place on Jan. 21. It will be an exciting time of change and adjustment, and NFU will continue to work in the best interests of our members. The beginning of the year will see the National Farmers Union office bustling with activity as our convention rapidly approaches. If you haven’t already done so, please make your arrangements to travel to Springfield, Mass. for the convention to be held March 2 to 5. Hotel reservations need to be made by Feb. 7 to guarantee that you get the Farmers Union discounted rate. Registration is also available at www.NFU.org/convention. NFU Policy Committee The NFU policy committee will meet the week of Jan. 17 in Washington, D.C., to begin evaluating NFU’s current policy and to make suggestions for changes to present at the convention in Springfield, Mass. this March. Policy is driven by Farmers Union’s grassroots membership across the country and determines the priorities our organization will work on for the next year. This year’s policy committee members are Jeff Eschmeyer of Ohio (chairman), George Davis of Calif., Tom Wingfield of Colo. (Rocky Mtn.), Daniel Truelove of Ill., Mary Howell of Kan., Tim Velde of Minn., Ronda Throener of N.D., and
Kent McAninch of Okla. On behalf of all the members of Farmers Union, we are grateful for the committee’s work. The policy book is a product of decades of Farmers Union history, and committee members scrutinize each word in the document before it is presented to the delegates for changes and eventual adoption. BFI 2013 Applications Sought Applications for the 2013 Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI) program are now available at www.NFU.org/Education. The annual program, now accepting its third class of students, is open to individuals who are new to farming, are in the process of transferring an operation from a relative or non-relative to themselves, or are contemplating a career in farming or ranching. The BFI program helps students gain insight and practical skills needed by beginning farmers and ranchers, including business plan writing, financial planning, and researching available programs to help start up and sustain a successful operation. Applicants accepted into the 2013 program will attend three separate education sessions, to be held in the spring and fall of 2013, in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minn., respectively, with a final session culminating at NFU’s annual convention in March 2014 in Santa Fe, N.M. Program topics at the education sessions will include business planning, U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, tax and record keeping, estate transfer and marketing.Applications must be postmarked on or before Feb. 11, 2013.
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