Policy Meeting Focused on Landowner Rights and More

Landowner rights were the main topic of discussion and the focus of two Special Orders during South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) 2023 Annual Policy Meeting held July 20.

“The nice thing about Farmers Union is the policy is developed from the bottom up, not the top down,” said Cheryl Schaefers, a Polo farmer and owner of a catering service. “I also like that

Policy Meeting

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They started out with 10 cows, a goal and the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Two brothers who farmed this ground did not have children interested in farming, and they wanted a young couple to come and farm it,” explained Lincoln County farmer Jason Twedt.

In 2015, Jason, his wife, Bridget, and his dad, Milo, signed the papers to purchase all the farm’s equipment and they began leasing all the farm and pasture ground.

“We always say we are blessed that the Young family gave us a hand up to start farming ourselves because the start-up costs of farming without having a generational family farm we could join would have been too much,” said Bridget, who works as the Beresford middle and high school FFA Adviser and Agriculture Education Instructor. Because of their backgrounds and passion for production agriculture, when the Young family talked to them about farming their land, they jumped at the opportunity.

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When they first began leasing the farm and pasture ground, they Twedt