Agriculture is the life-blood of South Dakota. It is our state’s #1 industry, and for the farmers and ranchers who work the land, agriculture is more than a job—it is a career, a passion, and a way of life. Growing up on our family farm, I spent long days milking cows, scooping silage, and baling hay. I learned to appreciate the value of hard work. I also grew to understand the importance of neighborliness, cooperation, honesty, and stewardship of the land.
 

In South Dakota, our agricultural producers have shown a tremendous ability to turn hard work, productivity, and ingenuity into a powerful economic engine. Agriculture has a $21.3 billion annual impact on South Dakota, which represents more than one-third of our state’s total economic activity. Clearly, agriculture is our state’s economic development hub and we’ve only scratched the surface of its potential.

 

By harnessing our state’s competitive advantages in agriculture, we can create new jobs in our rural communities and give our children and grandchildren a bright and vibrant future right here in South Dakota. We must continue to support the ethanol and biodiesel industries and expand other renewable energy opportunities, such as wind and biomass, which reduce our use of fossil fuels and cut our dependence on foreign oil.

 

The world is on the cusp of an energy revolution and South Dakota is perfectly positioned to succeed in renewable energy development. By utilizing emerging technologies to produce even more crops on the same land, while building on the agricultural production system already in place, South Dakota can be the vanguard of a new, knowledge-based economy. This will allow us to realize the economic potential in our own back yard while continuing to be careful stewards of our most important resource: the land.

We must also continue to support the crop and livestock operations that bring substantial benefits to our small towns. Production agriculture utilizes a number of services, including grain elevators, fertilizer distributors, seed dealers, feed companies, ag lenders, insurance firms, agronomy experts, and other businesses. All too often, these locally owned businesses are taken for granted. Support for crop and livestock producers fuels economic development, which helps maintain the vitality of our rural communities.

Today there are more opportunities in agriculture than ever before. And like many aspects of life, agriculture is constantly changing. From genetically modified seed, to a GPS system in the combine, to the way we market the crops and livestock we produce, agriculture is in the midst of a fundamental shift. Our challenge is to take advantage of these changes and position ourselves to meet the needs of the 21st century.

In the last few years, the growth of industries such as ethanol has helped agricultural producers move beyond producing commodities; now we are creating value-added products. Continuing to develop value-added agriculture is an investment in our rural communities, in our state, and in our future. I will work to develop our state’s beef processing industry, to keep profits in South Dakota and create more jobs.

I will also promote and encourage the growth of "agri-tourism," an emerging part of the visitor industry.

Finally, I will defend agriculture against attacks from the outside. Fringe groups like PETA want to chip away at time-tested animal husbandry practices such as castrating, branding, and dehorning. I’ll defend our right to use these practices. I will also join with other governors to resist federal interference with our farms and ranches. Whether it’s an activist EPA, out-of-control prairie dog populations, or unnecessary new “wilderness areas,” the federal government continues to create more problems than it solves. South Dakota needs a strong voice to resist federal over-reaching.

When we take advantage of our strengths, encourage agricultural diversity, and promote our family farms and ranches, we serve the best interests of all South Dakotans.