Nearly 50 family farmers and ranchers from across South Dakota are in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2026 National Farmers Union Convention held March 7-9.
Family farmers and ranchers from across South Dakota are in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2026 National Farmers Union Convention held March 7-9.
“As a grassroots organization, it is important for South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers to help establish policy that works to support and protect family farmers and ranchers in our state and in states across the U.S.,” explained Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union.
Top policy priorities South Dakota Farmers Union delegates will focus on during the 2026 convention are:
– Keep family farmers and ranchers on the land by significantly reforming and revitalizing the farm safety net and updating other important agriculture policies;
– Restore and expand market opportunities for family farmers and ranchers and address corporate consolidation and concentration; and
– Reestablish, strengthen, and preserve policies and programs that support the health and wellbeing of all members of our communities.
“Our policy is solution-focused,” Sombke explained. “We don’t create a list of problems and expect policymakers to fix them.”
Sombke is among the South Dakota family farmers and ranchers elected during the annual South Dakota Farmers Union Convention to advocate for the state’s policy at the national level. “We realize many of the issues South Dakota family farmers and ranchers face are not unique to us. These are challenges agriculture producers across the U.S. face. This is the reason we have a national organization – so that our policy reaches congressional leaders,” Sombke said.
Because only those who earn a living from farming and ranching can serve as delegates, congressional leaders can trust that the policy developed by National Farmers Union is truly farmer/rancher focused, explained Rob Lee, a third-generation De Smet farmer.
“As a farmer, it is important to me that our family belong to an organization, that when it comes to who is dictating the direction of the organization’s advocacy efforts, we stick to our roots as a farm organization and only those who are actually farming or ranching get to decide,” said Lee, who serves on SDFU State Policy Committee and serves as a delegate to the National Farmers Union Convention.
During the 2020 National Farmers Union Convention, Salem farmer Jim Wahle served on the National Policy Committee when a bylaw was passed to establish the rule that only those considered farmers or ranchers per the U.S. Department of Agriculture criteria can serve as a Farmers Union delegate.
“We as producers live this ag thing. We understand it, and we have to represent ourselves so that outside interests don’t make decisions for us,” explained Wahle, a fifth-generation farmer.
Of course, not all farmers and ranchers agree on policy priorities or on the solutions to shared challenges, but this is the reason Aberdeen farmer and Brown County Fair Manager Rachel Kippley enjoys participating in Farmers Union policy discussions. “Policy is the highlight of the whole convention,” Rachel said. “As delegates, we get to put our heads together and discuss challenges, discuss solutions and discuss the vision and advocacy direction of our national organization.”
In addition to their crop and cattle operation, Rachel and her husband, Jeff, both have off-farm careers. And with four children, the couple understand the sacrifice delegates make when they make time to leave their South Dakota agriculture operations to advocate for policy at the national convention.
“It’s difficult to do because today’s family farmers are pulled in so many directions. But if we want to have the opportunity to pass our farms or ranches on to the next generation – which is the goal of nearly every farmer and rancher I know – then we need to make the time for farm and ranch-friendly policy,” Rachel said.
Jeff agreed. He currently serves as the National Farmers Union Vice President and as Vice President of South Dakota Farmers Union. During the 2026 Convention, Jeff is running unopposed for a third term.
“We are at the best place we’ve ever been at as far as getting Country of Origin Labeling back. At the same time, we’re probably at the worst place we’ve been in a long time with commodity prices and input costs,” Jeff said. “So, it’s really time that we get a new Farm Bill passed that can really give us a safety net that farmers across the state and country need.”
The delegates representing South Dakota Farmers Union policy during the National Farmers Union Convention include Doug Sombke, Groton; Chaz Blotsky, Hidden Timber; Michelle Olson, Aberdeen; Rachel Kippley, Aberdeen; Jason Latham, Buffalo; Kaeloni Latham, Buffalo; John Kippley, Aberdeen; Lance Perrion, Ipswich; Sarah Perrion, Ipswich; Rob Lee, De Smet; Darrin Olson, Aberdeen; Jim Wahle, Salem; Keeleigh Reis-Elwood, Reliance; Terry Sestak, Tabor; and Amber Kolousek, Wessington Springs.
Follow South Dakota Farmers Union on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with delegates during National Convention. To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union policy, visit www.sdfu.org and find the Policy Book under the Legislation link.
