(NEW ORLEANS, LA) — As delegates wrapped up their time at the National Farmers Union 124th Anniversary Convention on Monday, they voted to finalize a number of 2026 policy priorities. On top of that, there were also plenty of discussions about a number of issues facing farmers and ranchers. Data centers buying up farmland was one of the more interesting topics that was brought up by NFU delegates.
“(A topic) that really stood out to me so far, one that’s taken a fair amount of time, is data centers buying up farmland or trying to move into communities,” says Rob Lee with the South Dakota Farmers Union. “And it just seems like there’s some skepticism by those that are participating here on how fast do we want to dive into that. There are delegations from eastern United States that have, I think, to quote numbers, I think in South Dakota we have 30 to 50 maybe total, and her particular county has 190. And to see what it’s done to ag land values as these big dollar-backed places come in and start fighting with farmers for farm ground, kind of put us at a disadvantage as far as access to land. So, you know, I think it’s trying to balance being progressive and driving economic development with putting ourselves at a disadvantage in the future for short-term gain. So that’s been a big topic.”
Another hot topic, according to Lee, was centered on wetland easements and conservation.
“The other one that really resonates with me and my neighbors, talking about US Fish and Wildlife wetland easements, and this is something that it’s a real passion point for me,” says Lee. “We’ve got on our own farm easements that were signed back in the 1960s and it’s become evident over the course of time that on the other side of it, US Fish and Wildlife, they’re happy to maneuver the contract in a way that suits their needs without any input from us. So one of the pieces of language that we got put into policy this year was, you know, we’d ask for the ability to renegotiate or buy out some of these easements for no other reason than to make a better partner on the other side with US Fish and Wildlife. And I know that’s something that’s real important to us in the Prairie Pothole region and same with our counterparts in North Dakota.”
You can hear the full conversation with Rob Lee from the South Dakota Farmers Union, including more recap from the NFU Convention this past weekend, in the audio interview below:
