Governor Larry Rhoden was among the first speakers to welcome family farmers and ranchers from across the state to the 110th South Dakota Farmers Union State Convention held in Huron December 10 and 11.
During his keynote, the Union Center rancher shared how he is deeply connected to the state’s largest agriculture organization.
“Growing up, my dad belonged to only two things, the first was our church and the second was Farmers Union. He was a lifelong member of the Farmers Union and the Farmers Union Cooperative,” Rhoden said.
Rhoden went on to share that it was through his membership in South Dakota Farmers Union and the mentorship of a former Farmers Union president that he overcame his fear of public speaking. “I was deathly afraid of public speaking. And I remember we went to a convention one year … and he wanted me to get up and address the group…I was so nervous I could hardly breathe. Now it doesn’t bother me near as bad.”
Rhoden shared his concerns for the current state of South Dakota’s agriculture economy and his advocacy efforts in Pierre and D.C. “Our economy, our revenues are down and that’s directly related to the people represented in this room. You understand the crop prices have been tough,” Rhoden said.
Rhoden shared that shortly after he took over as governor following Kristi Noem’s appointment to serve as Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he traveled to D.C. for the first of many meetings with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins to advocate on behalf of a ranch family facing criminal charges from the federal government over fencing lines near National Forest Service land. The charges were dropped.
Rhoden’s genuine and lived understanding of life as an agriculture producer resonated with members. “I really like how Governor Rhoden works to keep South Dakota ag focused,” said Kaeloni Latham, a rancher from Harding County. “He is from an ag background so he understands. It is nice to see someone speaking form the heart, not the White House.”
Rhoden said he will continue to fight for South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers and their city neighbors. He shared a story to explain how he is inspired by the people who came before him to serve South Dakotans today.
“How many in this room have an ancestor that was a homesteader here in South Dakota? Raise your hand,” after several hands went up, Rhoden said. “I get that same kind of result every place I am in South Dakota. And they talk about how tough the homesteaders were. Well fact of the matter is the majority of them weren’t. I was trying to count how many homestead sites are on my ranch. And there are a lot, and each of them represented a big family. And they came out for free land. And they went through one winter and the weak ones headed back to Chicago or St. Louis or wherever they came from.
“It was only the most resilient, the toughest the people with the strongest work ethic that survived in South Dakota. And that became the fabric of the people in South Dakota. So, I think this is a big part of what makes us special. And for as long as I’m governor, I will work to maintain that sense of just good old fashioned work ethic and grab yourself by your bootstraps and take care of your own. And help your neighbors.”
Rhoden is among a strong line-up of convention speakers including Rob Larew, President, National Farmers Union; Doug Sombke, President, SDFU; Jeff Kippley, Vice President, National Farmers Union and SDFU; Derek McFarland, Veterinarian; Jacob Shapiro, Director of Research, Bespoke Group and host of “The Jacob Shapiro Podcast;” Peter Leydon, technology expert and thought leader on artificial intelligence; and Greg Hanes, CEO, Beef Checkoff.
To learn more, visit www.sdfu.org.
