South Dakota
VOLUME XCVIII, NO. 3
HURON, SD
MARCH 2015
UNION FARMER A PUBLICATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA FARMERS UNION
Eric Sumption Profile
2015 NFU College Conference on Cooperatives
Beyond the Elevator
Page 3
Page 9
Page 10
2015 Legislative Update
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ver the course of the 91st Legislative Session, we have seen 439 pieces of legislation introduced, including commemorations, joint resolutions and other bills. “A multitude of these bills have either passed, failed or been deferred. Some, however, are still being discussed by the House and Senate. As cross-over day has come and gone, legislators and lobbyists alike approach the end Matt Sibley of session with a focused fervor on the pressing issues that have managed to pass their respective house of origin. For South Dakota Farmers Union, a few major issues still await final action. The issue garnering the most attention is that of highway and bridge infrastructure funding. This debate has taken shape in the form of Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1131. Most recently, the House State Affairs Committee has deferred HB 1131 to the 41st day, essentially killing the legislation. However, SB 1 had previously been amended to nearly mirror that of HB 1131, so the debate rages on. SB 1 has passed the Senate State Affairs Committee and subsequently passed on the Senate Floor. The bill will be examined next by the House State Affairs Committee, the same committee responsible for deferring HB 1131. SDFU has firmly established its position on the issue through testimony and the Special Order of Business that was passed by SDFU members at the organization’s 99th Annual Convention. Continued on Page 9
Calling All Students! Scholarship Season is Here! Supporting our youth in achieving success through scholarship is a strong focus of Farmers Union. If you or someone you love is ready to pursue a post-secondary education, encourage them to check out available scholarships on our website, www.sdfu.org
South Dakota Farmers Union Celebrates Christensen Farm Family Celebrating a century of service to South Dakota's farm and ranch families, throughout 2015, South Dakota Farmers Union will highlight members who farm or ranch with their families each month. In March, South Dakota Farmers Union features the Christensen family who farm near Beresford.
The Christensen family L to R: Doug, Marlow, Donna, Dale & Don. Photo credit, Lura Roti.
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sk Marlow Christensen and his three sons, Dale, Don and Doug, why they chose farming as a career and their responses are similar. “It’s all we’ve ever known,” explains Dale, who, like his younger brothers, joined the family operation full-time right out of high school. His brother, Don, adds, “I didn’t think about doing anything else. I enjoy working with the cattle, basically every bit of the work involved – even things like scraping the yards in the mornings.” Celebrating 51 years of marriage this year, Marlow and his wife, Donna, got their start in farming a year after they married. They rented the farm southwest of Beresford from Marlow’s mom, Lucille (Jensen) Christensen, in 1965. Lucille’s grandpa homesteaded the land in 1887. Since the beginning, the work of running the feedyard and raising crops has been a family affair. “When the boys were too little to walk, I would put them in their little red wagon and they would sit there and watch us work in the barns,” Donna recalls. Even today, the family is not incorporated. They all share a percentage of the expenses and profits brought in by the 2,000-head feedyard and crops they market. To learn more about the Christensen family farm, turn to page 8. Visit the Farmers Union website, www.sdfu.org, to view a photo gallery. By Lura Roti, for South Dakota Farmers Union