Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

Agriculture is the #1 industry and life-blood of our state. Every South Dakotan has a stake in the future of our state's farmers and ranchers. I believe state government can do more to address the many challenges they face, including:

Elimination of burdensome regulations and bureaucracies;
Supporting production and use of biofuels;
Expanding value-added agriculture efforts;
Supporting agricultural research;
Promoting natural resources conservation;
Supporting agricultural endeavors along the I-29 corridor which traverses through the heart of District 4.
And increasing investment in transportation infrastructure.
Some of what I Did

Supported elimination of outdated pork production regulations. Supported new provisions that subject pork producers to the same standards which apply to livestock feeding, breeding stock, dairies, and poultry and egg operations (SB 98).

Supported sales and use tax exemptions for farm machinery and farm vehicles (HB 1018).

Supported exemption of all sales and use tax for repairs of farm machinery, attachment units, and irrigation equipment used for agricultural purposes (HB 1019).

Supported roads and bridges funding package to assure a strong state infrastructure and safety (SB 1).

Supported funding to SDSU for a soil productivity study to update methods used to determine agricultural land production capacity (HB 1007).

Supported revising the income criteria for determining if property is classified as agricultural land for property tax purposes SB 3).

I votes yes to support HB 1201 to revise certain planning and zoning provisions. I worked harder on this bill than any other during the 2015 session, speaking with many proponent and opponents, listening to committee testimony twice, studying the data and more. In the end, I voted to support because of my belief in the need to promote economic development in South Dakota. The measure passed 52-17.

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