On Thursday, The South Dakota Senate Agriculture Committee sent a resolution of disapproval of the merger of the State Agriculture Department with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the Senate floor. The State Farm Bureau backs the merger and their Lobbyist Mike Held was disappointed at the committee’s decision as it was put forward on a 4 to 3 vote.

He says it take only one Legislative body to approve a resolution of disapproval for it to take effect. Held thinks they have enough votes to withstand the disapproval.

Held says Farm Bureau’s members overwhelmingly want the merger to happen and believe it’ll streamline programs and provide savings and benefits in the long run.

Held says most of the support for the disapproval resolution is coming from environmental groups.