South Dakota Farmers Union members are pleased with state legislative approval of Senate Bill 136, a measure that gives farmers tax incentives to implement conservation practices along lakes, ponds and streams. Farmers Union Legislative Director Matt Sibley says the buffer zone measure is beneficial for urban and rural alike.
He says while SB 136 received unanimous approval in both the House and Senate Ag Committees and support in the full Senate, it picked up some opposition near the end of the legislative process.
Sibley says support for the measure came from not only farmers and ranchers but from towns and cities.
Sibley says allowing farmers to have their cropland that’s planted to perennial vegetation within 50 feet of lakes, ponds and rivers get non cropland tax status is a great way to enhance conservation and prevent future problems along waterways.
