State Senator and Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr stepped on a landmine recently in a SD Legislative Executive Board meeting where he criticized ag producers, and inferred they need to be further regulated to combat water pollution.
After a report by SD Searchlight Karr has found himself taking fire from other legislators, and as reported by the Argus Leader today, he is now the focus of comments by Governor Larry Rhoden:
Rhoden told the crowd assembled at the Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown that he was disappointed by Karr’s comments, calling them a “damaging thing to say” and promising that Karr would be “set straight” on the issue.
Speaking with reporters afterward, Rhoden said the statements were “made in a vacuum of ignorance” and said that the state had made meaningful steps toward improving water quality.
Lt. Gov Tony Venhuizen also said that he felt Minnesota had instituted more “top-down” mandates and regulations than South Dakota without showing much difference in outcomes.
This comes after an earlier post to facebook by State Representative Drew Peterson critical of what he termed “misinformation and half-truths” about agriculture:
Stay tuned for more on this topic.
Ok, move along. Nothing to see or smell here! Amazing how farmers can put all those chemicals on their fields or have cattle manure runoff, and none of the residue ends up in the state’s waters! It’s a miracle!
Incredible how you can get paid to produce absolutely nothing and still walk into a grocery store and buy food that actual producers put there for you. THAT is a miracle.
This is South Dakota. If you don’t respect our ag industry and our farmers then kick rocks. We are producers, not politicians, so stay out of pur way while we feed the world.
It’s all fun and games for you useless little busybody white collars, yeah? Make politics your little hobby to give some semblance of value to your worthless lives while the rest of us have families to feed and not a lot of money to feed them with, busting our ass so some conspiracy theorist can hinder us from providing for them at half what we ought to be paid. Chris Karr should be thrown in a dumpster and left there. I don’t want this guy anywhere near my dinnertable.
God bless Governor Rhoden, he’s a wise old bull in a pit of snakes, protecting us from the idiotic right-wing that is trying so hard to turn our state blue overnight. Keep up the common sense Governor. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with sheer ignorance.
Oh, the old “we feed America” line, give me a break. You know what also would feed America, letting me bury toxic waste next to your farm, it is my land, why can’t I? Maybe seeding the clouds to give extra rain for my farm, Bill Gates said it will work? Oh, and my sewage pipe is actually fertilizer, just use it and don’t worry about it, you shouldn’t have taken land at a lower elevation than me.
When the actions of one human impact another, a marketing slogan line isn’t a solution to it. It amazes me how Minnesota, Iowa, and countless other states can still “feed America” by not allowing anarchist policies run the ag industry in their states. Your actions impact everyone, and it is time for the state to wake up to this. Karr is 100% right, and your consolidation of farm land has reduced the votes impacted by this, nobody cares, cry me a river, just don’t send that river down to my land (yet we know you can right now in South Dakota).
Noticeably absent is South Dakota livestock farmer and amateur pipeline enthusiast Amanda Radke. These misguided remarks from a Senate R leader have far greater consequences for her farm and way of life than any CO2 pipeline, yet she remains conspicuously silent and offers no criticism.
She hasn’t finished her children’s book on the topic yet, so she has nothing to promote. Give her a minute.
Pipeline Greta is going to be an author? Can’t wait! Eat your fat little kids!
Also quoted in the article. House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, “pointed to long-running concerns such as high bacteria levels in surface water and the draining of wetlands. He said the state’s approach feels a century out of date, and he urged his colleagues to consider a more in-depth, future study on water quality.” I don’t think Scott agrees with farmers tiling the low spots to increase production acres. So much for private property rights. He is also sounding the alarms out here in Hills when someone attempts to develop their own private property. Tried to bring a development study last session. Also quoted in the article, Sen. Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls, said the report proves what she has observed for years on the Big Sioux River. She cited E. coli levels above safe thresholds in the river, noting that much of the problem stems from livestock waste entering the river upstream. “It’s been a problem for a long time, and I’ve not seen anybody interested in doing anything about it,” Larson said.
On hot days the cattle are wading in the Big Sioux river at Medary. I see it almost every day in the summer. I have seen lots of cows having beach parties around the state. It’s what they do
All politics for Rhoden. Karr stating the truth
Rhoden is a rancher who understands stewardship of the land.
Karr hasn’t worked on a ranch a day in his life.
Karr doesn’t care about SD farmers and ranchers.
Rhoden does.
Lance Nixon presented the memo to the board. It says that over three-quarters of monitored river and stream miles in the state fail to fully support at least one of their intended uses — such as swimming, fishing or boating — with similar problems in many lakes.
You are obviously a supposed ‘family farm’ owner Read the above No more family farms All corporate farms
I have family who are lifelong farmers who still dump used motor oil around fence posts to kill weeds and on their driveways to keep the dust down.
Okay, Scott.
Their intended purposes? The rivers have intended purposes other than running water downhill to the sea?
A discussion with the water gods is in order.
It is definately wild times. Odenbach acting like a Sierra Club member and Taffy Howard in front of a podium holding a joint press conference to try and shit down a TIG and locked arms with Jay Davis, a long time activist in the Democratic Party in South Dakota. It’s wild times.
Edit “Shut” “TIF”. Anon at 5:36
But somehow everyone else is a RINO. She’s really something else.
While she’s the true RINO doing the Dem’s bidding for them.
Ah, yes, those evil seven members of the SD legislature are running the state……or is it really…….Soros!?!??
The Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club and probably PETA have infiltrated the “conservative” wing of the Republican Party. Wake up people.
c/o Liberty Tree PAC
It’s becoming very clear that Odenbach thinks the establishment and big Government at the State level knows best. He doesn’t believe elected school boards can effectively manage budgets, curriculum, and overall management of their district. He doesn’t believe counties can manage development or zoning. Now he wants a summer study ($$$) on water issues and how drain tiling farm ground and ranchers’ cattle standing in rivers negatively affect the jet skiers and wave boats on Lake Poinsett.
All of the summer studies have gotten to be an expensive waste and promoted by ” conservatives.”
When have they not been??
The fall guy is always agricultural. Karr, Odenbach and Larson really don’t have a clue on this. Good producers are very diligent not to allow runoff, it’s literally money down the drain if it does.
Meanwhile, folks like Karr will stand in their front yard holding a bottle of roundup in one hand, picking a tee time on their phone in the other, admiring their lush lawn reflecting on how great they are.
Far more pollution comes from cities, golf courses and storm drain discharge. There are no regulations on that runoff.
Maybe Karr should think about that before showing off his abundance of ignorance on the topic by opening that flapping maw above his chin.
Excellent point. I might be closer to the front yard/tee time/lush yard kind of person but sadly aware of the consequences.
As expensive as fertilizer is I guarantee you that no one is over applying (you couldn’t afford to). No till and minimum till are widespread limiting erosion. Animal waste is regulated and soil levels monitored by DNR. I’m not sure where these clowns come up with this stuff, but they need to get with the times.
Every CAFO or feedlot over the past 30 years has had to come up with management plans to limit runoff and create catch basins. There has been millions in funds dispersed by the Federal Government to do so.
These people, like Karr are enemies of Agriculture and need to be fired.
The ag and environment departments should have never been combined. Yes, there was an ulterior motive (Kristi always has one…or two). Put them back where they belong..Department of Ag and Natural Resources AND Department of Environmental …)
Totally agree! Otherwise it will only get worse placing the population of the state at greater risk of immediate illness and chronic disease besides severely damaging tourism and economic development with a focus only on short term gains.
Unless there is significant political change by a non fringe political party or significant amount of Un-affiliated elected candidates getting elected it is highly doubtful the super majority party will bring about what is needed.
Look at Iowa with it’s surging cancer rates due to AG runoff and contaminated water resources. Governor Rhoden’s comments parrots those of Big Industrial AG. If all AG producers really cared about the environment and be good stewards of the land the state would not need to pay them with taxpayer dollars for measures to protect our water resources and we would not have the problems we do today.
Does Kathy Tyler passes her notes to Scott Odenbach or vice versa? Maybe they have a Google doc.
Don’t forget Jane Fonda.
Yes
Fear not…The freedumb caucasus clown show will show up to defend property rights…Oh wait.
Mr. Karr has always hated farmers.
Farmers and ranchers depend on the land. Most of them their land has been in their families for years. They protect the land and are wiser and more conservative than non agriculture people can understand. To have someone who is clueless criticise them is very insuting.
If they were protecting the land 80% of our surface freshwater supply wouldn’t be failing to meet standards.
Run Stalzer run, for Senate
Serious question, as I dont know well enough to comment: are the pollution levels referenced meaningful? What is contributing to that pollution, if so? I dont mind trashing this guy, but only if he’s wrong.
Look at Iowa– they are sick as dogs there. Karr is not wrong–ag runoff is causing cancer rates to skyrocket. Farmers are too set in their ways to make changes to keep people safe.