Dakotafest is a magnet that draws agricultural leaders like American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall.
“I come to be at Dakotafest to meet the farmers and ranchers here in South Dakota and also be able to talk with these elected officials that I work with day in and day out in Washington (DC), said Duvall.
Agricultural workforce is a critical concern according to Duvall. “When you look at what’s really hurting agriculture the most is the lack of labor,” Duvall said.
Undocumented aliens make up a large portion of the farm labor workforce targeted by the Trump administration.
Duvall favors other options in dealing with the issue. “Make them pay a fine for breaking the law coming here and maybe a fee to have the privilege to be here to work”, Duvall said. “Don’t take them away from us because some of them have been here fifteen or twenty years and they are our skilled workers.”
Duvall says completing and passing a new five-year farm bill is also a priority.