Author: Pat Powers

USDA Announces Thune-Authored Conservation Pilot Program to Begin in South Dakota, Other Prairie Pothole Region States

“This SHIPP rollout has been a long time in the making, and I’m grateful South Dakota’s farmers will soon see its benefits.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA’s) announcement that the Thune-authored Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP) pilot will soon be available to producers in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Montana. The sign-up for this pilot program starts March 30, 2020, and ends August 21, 2020.

SHIPP is a voluntary income protection program that would provide participating farmers with a short-term acreage conserving use program, which, unlike the Conservation Reserve Program, would require a commitment of only three to five years. Thune first introduced SHIPP in 2017, and it was included in the 2018 farm bill, which is now law.

“This SHIPP rollout has been a long time in the making, and I’m grateful South Dakota’s farmers will soon see its benefits,” said Thune. “This common-sense program gives farmers a short-term option to conserve acreage while protecting farm income. The three-to-five year commitment will give farmers the flexibility necessary to preserve soil health in today’s tough agriculture economy.”

“Each new Farm Bill provides opportunities to develop tools to meet needs of producers with programs, like SHIPP,”said Richard Fordyce, administrator of the FSA. “We are excited to provide this short-term Conservation Reserve Program pilot, first inspired by feedback from South Dakota producers, to support the unique soil health needs of farmers and ranchers in the Prairie Pothole states.”

“The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is grateful for the prospective benefits for the land and producers that SHIPP provides,” said Levi Neuharth, chairman of the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition. “Having a short term contracting option to build soil health on working lands enables farmers an ‘every acre counts’ approach. SHIPP may help to reach a positive bottom line for producers while building healthier soil. A special thank you to Senator Thune for his efforts seeing SHIPP become reality.”

“The South Dakota Soybean Association is very appreciative of the flexibility, soil and water benefits, and grazing opportunities that SHIPP has to offer,” said Jeff Thompson, president of the South Dakota Soybean Association.“A special thanks to Senator Thune for his leadership of this program.”

“South Dakota Corn is appreciative of Senator Thune’s leadership for providing farmers a common sense approach for working lands that provides another opportunity during this incredible wet cycle we are experiencing,” said Doug Noem, president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

For more information, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/crp or contact your local USDA Service Center office, which can be found here.

Thune recently penned an op-ed on the importance of SHIPP and how it was inspired by feedback he received from the South Dakota agriculture community.

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Delegation Urges VA Secretary to Meet with Veterans and Community Members During Upcoming Hot Springs VA Visit

“Failure to hold a discussion about the Hot Springs campus with [veterans] will forgo an opportunity to hear firsthand from veterans about long-held concerns with the VA’s Hot Springs plan.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today urged Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to visit with veterans who would be personally affected by the VA’s Black Hills planned realignment during his upcoming visit to the Hot Springs VA medical center. Currently, Wilkie’s draft itinerary does not include interaction with members of the community, veterans, and other stakeholders.

“In our discussions with you dating back to November of 2018, we have repeatedly stressed the importance of meeting with the veterans who would be personally affected by the VA’s realignment plan,” the delegation wrote. “We most recently raised this matter in our discussions prior to your October 2019 visit to our state. Failure to hold a discussion about the Hot Springs campus with them will forgo an opportunity to hear firsthand from veterans about long-held concerns with the VA’s Hot Springs plan. Moreover, it will confirm to veterans and the community that a reduction in services at the Hot Springs VA has been a pre-determined outcome throughout this process, regardless of stakeholder input. We are confident that the long-sought visit to the historic campus will be most productive if it includes meaningful engagement with the veteran community.”

Full text of the letter below

The Honorable Robert Wilkie
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC  20420

Dear Secretary Wilkie:

Thank you for fulfilling your commitment to return to South Dakota to visit the Hot Springs VA medical center.  Unfortunately, we were discouraged to learn that a draft itinerary of your upcoming visit fails to allot time for interaction with members of the community, our veterans, and other stakeholders.

In our discussions with you dating back to November of 2018, we have repeatedly stressed the importance of meeting with the veterans who would be personally affected by the VA’s realignment plan.  We most recently raised this matter in our discussions prior to your October 2019 visit to our state.  Failure to hold a discussion about the Hot Springs campus with them will forgo an opportunity to hear firsthand from veterans about long-held concerns with the VA’s Hot Springs plan.  Moreover, it will confirm to veterans and the community that a reduction in services at the Hot Springs VA has been a pre-determined outcome throughout this process, regardless of stakeholder input.  We are confident that the long-sought visit to the historic campus will be most productive if it includes meaningful engagement with the veteran community.

As the fourth VA Secretary to oversee this matter, we believe you have a real opportunity to revisit the VA’s record of decision and move forward in a collaborative way, but this will require direct dialogue.  While we understand you set the trip agenda, we would strongly advise you to include a roundtable discussion with local stakeholders during your visit.  We believe this should be a top priority.

Thank you for your consideration and attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem today signed the following pieces of legislation:

• HB1020 – An Act to revise certain provisions regarding the use of exemption certificates.
• HB1024 – An Act to make an appropriation for the payment of extraordinary litigation expenses and to declare an emergency.
• HB1027 – An Act to make an appropriation from the coordinated natural resources conservation fund to the State Conservation Commission and to declare an emergency.
• HB1029 – An Act to make an appropriation for costs related to suppression of wildfires in the state and to declare an emergency.
• HB1040 – An Act to increase the frequency of background investigations for certain state employees.
• HB1055 – An Act to revise certain provisions regarding the termination of a political committee under certain circumstances.
• HB1061 – An Act to exempt vehicles owned by improvement districts from certain vehicle registration fees.
• HB1066 – An Act to revise and repeal provisions regarding aviation.
• HB1075 – An Act to repeal certain outdated provisions regarding annexation near airports.
• HB1144 – An Act to remove the requirement for a ballot election in township elections if candidates are unopposed.
• SB8 – An Act to revise certain provisions regarding insurance holding companies.
• SB14 – An Act to revise registration requirements for motor vehicles, motorcycles, snowmobiles, trailers, and semitrailers.
• SB15 – An Act to revise certain provisions regarding the retention of motor vehicle title documents by the Department of Revenue.
• SB62 – An Act to revise the membership and responsibilities of the South Dakota Board on Geographic Names.

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Alex Jensen Announces Long List of Endorsements

Sioux Falls City Council Candidate Alex Jensen Announces Endorsements from 130+ Community Leaders

Sioux Falls, SD – Today, Sioux Falls City Council candidate Alex Jensen announced endorsements from more than 130 business and community leaders. The list of supporters includes current and former elected officials, educators, medical professionals, non-profit leaders, small business owners and more.

Some of those endorsing Alex Jensen’s City Council campaign include:

James Abbott Jaclyn and Micah Aberson Jake Anderson Vince Anderson John Archer Katie Ashmore Catherine and David Barranco Lisa and Miles Beacom Tanner Beukelman Deb and Jack Billion Raquel Blount Paige and Matt Bock Dennis Breske Ryan Brown Vernon Brown Molly and Ryan Budmayr Dr. Seri and Shad Carney Dr. Tom and Ginny Christopherson Dan Costello Kent Cutler Emily and Chris Daugaard Linda and Dennis Daugaard Dan Doyle Drew Duncan Dana Dykhouse Joel Dykstra Troy and Natalie Eisenberg Jim Entenman Councilor Christine and Tony Erickson Scott Erickson Julio Espino Rick Everist Rob Fagnan Lucas Fiegen Laura and Ryan Gardner

Shelly and Mike Gardner James Gaspar Tyler Goff Dustin Haber Craig Hagen Alex Halbach Larry Hamre Chad Hatch Brent Hodgkiss Jordan Huisman Tom Hurlbert Mike Jamison Russ Janklow Anna and Brad Jankord Maren and Max Jensen Maria Harrington and Sam Jensen Paula and Bill Jensen Brendan Johnson Troy Jones Macy Kaiser Jon Kirby Steve Kirby Ryan Konz Kate and Nick Kotzea Molly and Josh Kuehl Reggie Kuipers Scott Lawrence Mark Lee Mark Lovre Alexis Konstant and Marcus Mahlen Alissa and Eric Matt Eric McDonald Amanda and Tom McKnelly Mark Mickelson Doug Muth

Martha and Tom Nelson Tony Nour Erik Nyberg Rob Oliver Karine and Matt Paulson Marianne and Steve Perkins Deb Peters Rachel Petersen Lucas Peterson Kia and Ryan Pidde Nikki Rassmussan David Ratchford Tony Reiss Dave Roetman Joel Rosenthal Amber Rouse Dave Rozenboom Steve Sarbacker Darrell Schmith Matt Schoppert Cindy Schoppert-Pickett Dr. Ryan and Cady Sivertson Alex Soundy Ryan Spellerberg Brad Stearns Bob and Lori Sutton Chris Thorkelson Bobbi and Luke Tibbetts Kevin Tupy Carol Twedt Ryan Tysdal Tony Venhuizen Sara Waldner Anna and Dane Yde Bishop Emeritus David Zellmer

“I’m thrilled by the broad support and enthusiasm around my campaign,” Alex Jensen said.  “The sheer number of people who have put their support behind my campaign, including this group of prominent business and community leaders, shows their belief in my readiness to serve on the city council.”

These endorsements underscore the strong momentum behind Jensen’s campaign. The Jensen campaign has received donations from more than 165 contributors since the first of the year and Alex has personally called or visited nearly 1,000 voters and attended dozens of community events. Jensen hopes to reach every voter in the city with his “positive and proven” message leading up to the April 14^th election.

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More About Alex:

As a life-long Sioux Falls resident, Alex Jensen believes in working together to create opportunity. He brings years of experience in business development and growth. He has a working knowledge of good government, having served in the South Dakota State Legislature with a track record of public accountability and balanced budgets.

As a city councilor, Alex will work to keep taxes low, while understanding the critical need to invest in the future. A husband and a father, he supports strong public safety to protect our city’s families. Alex’s top priority as city councilor is improving the quality of life for all Sioux Falls citizens.

Interested voters can learn more about Alex Jensen at www.jensenforsiouxfalls.com.

 

As of yesterday, the SDGOP has another primary in the works for June 2020. Larry Nielsen of Tulare has filed paperwork to run for the District 23 State Senate seat which is currently held by Senator John Lake.

At a minimum, this will pit Nielson against previously announced Bryan Breitling of Miller.

This District already has a House primary with at the least James Wangness, Spencer Gosch and Charlie Hoffman all competing for two House seats.

With 38 days to go, there’s still a lot of time for more to enter either contest.  Stay tuned!

The District 14 State Senate race apparently changed this week, and not just a little.

State Representative Larry Zikmund had earlier announced his intention to run for the seat being vacated by term limited State Senator Deb Soholt. But according to a filing with the Secretary of State’s office, he’s not the only one interested.

Former South Dakota ELCA Bishop David Zellmer has filed paperwork with the Secretary of State on the 18th to enter the contest:

If Zikmund continues his intention to run, this could set up a significant GOP primary.

Zikmund is an experienced campaigner who has had his name on the ballot several times. However, Zellmer is well known, liked and will be able to draw on a broad base of considerable contacts statewide to move his candidacy forward.

And this may not be the only primary in that District, with a House race still shaping up with several interested parties.

Stay tuned!

From Facebook, Governor Noem discusses Senate Bill 157, an act to revise certain provisions regarding the county zoning and appeals process:

The Argus is reporting that Governor Kristi Noem has come out against House Bill 1235 which proposes to end students required to be vaccinated, and to make it a class 1 misdemeanor to require mandatory vaccinations:

Gov. Kristi Noem says she opposes a bill eliminating the vaccination requirement for students.

“Vaccinations have literally saved millions of lives over the years. That is not something that I can support,” she said during her weekly press conference.

Read it all here.

Well that was fast.   As a postscript to my prior post below, suggesting Liz May ask SD Trump Campaign Co-Chair Dusty Johnson if she’s going to claim she’s having a joint trump fundraiser, I was thinking of offering a constructive comment of that nature to the the Liz May for Congress facebook page.

But then I noticed this..  Apparently, I CAN’T.

Did she..?  Yes! It’s only been a couple of weeks that she’s been in the campaign, and Liz May has already blocked me from commenting on every single post on her campaign website.  Blocking potential voters from offering their input already? Who does she think she is? Theresa Stehly?

Instead of having the ability to comment, even to say “Cull the herd” or whatever inane trigger her consultant is using to flood people’s facebook messaging with advertising, Liz has blocked me from the ability to comment.  

Well, not even an opportunity to troll her yet. It’s kind of early in the process for Liz to start blocking people.

Which might be an indication of how it’s already going.

This was just brought to my attention. Apparently over on Facebook, Liz May is claiming that she’s having a joint fundraiser with President Trump:

“Help ME get to DC and keep President Trump in DC by donating to my JOINT fundraiser with President Trump.“

That’s a pretty definitive statement. Too bad Liz’s claim (or at least the claim of the consultant running her page) has two basic problems.

The first problem are the Federal Election Laws:

Joint fundraising is fundraising conducted jointly by a federal political committee and one or more other political committees or unregistered organizations.

Joint fundraisers must be conducted according to specific registration and reporting rules. For example, joint fundraising participants must designate a “joint fundraising representative,” by registering a new political committee or by selecting one of the participating federal committees to act as the joint fundraising representative. Also, all participants must enter into a written agreement that states the amount or percentage that the participants agree to use for allocating expenses and proceeds.

(From the FEC)

Can you find a joint fundraising committee for Liz and President Trump that’s been filed on the FEC website?  I can’t.

The second thing she should consider? DUSTY JOHNSON IS CO-CHAIR OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA TRUMP VICTORY EFFORT:

In case Liz’s consultant missed the reference on that big page

As I’m told, this document is as old as September of this last year.

If the Liz May for Congress campaign claims it’s going to hold a joint fundraiser with President Trump, I’d say that if they’re going to start up the kind of committee where you can legally do that under federal law, they should start with the South Dakota Trump Campaign.

I’d start with Dusty Johnson for permission. He is one of the state chairs, after all.