South Dakota Conversations

Who do you turn to for advice? For me, the answer is easy: South Dakotans. The people of our state are my top advisers, and your feedback is invaluable to me when I’m in Washington working for you. During the last few weeks, I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time traveling our state far and wide to hear directly from South Dakotans. I met with ranchers in Bison, and I visited small businesses in Flandreau, Sturgis, Sisseton, and Sioux Falls. In Lemmon, I stopped by the grain elevator and met with volunteer firefighters who serve their community. And I had a chance to catch up with local leaders in Meade County and local sheriffs at a meeting in Moody County, and I got to visit the Belle Fourche Irrigation District Field Site in Newell with the ranchers it serves. Summer is also fair season in South Dakota, and it’s one of my favorite times of year. Like any fairgoer, I have my favorite foods, but fair season is also a chance for me to have some important conversations. I connected with folks at the Butte & Lawrence County Fair, the Turner County Fair, and the State Fair. The Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce hosts a terrific agribusiness meeting at the Brown County Fair, and the Dakotafest congressional forum always provides me with a lot of valuable feedback from South Dakota farmers and ranchers. In fact, a lot of my priorities that make their way into the farm bill come from conversations like these with producers in our state. I’ve also had the chance to spend some time visiting schools across our state and meeting with students and educators. I had great conversations with students at Black Hills State and at Spearfish High School. In Spearfish, I was able to tour the high school’s Career and Technical Education Center and see firsthand the opportunities available for students to pursue a variety of career paths. On the other side of the state, I was pleased to be on hand for the groundbreaking of the James Abdnor Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Southeast Tech. This new center will help countless young South Dakotans find success, and it’s a fitting tribute to Jim Abdnor who was so committed to helping young people. I’ve traveled a lot of miles these past few weeks, and whether I’m talking to a high school student about their future or a farmer about their harvest, I rely on these conversations to guide my work on behalf of our state when I’m back in Washington.