South Dakota Farmers Union members and leaders are preparing for the 2017 state legislative session that gets underway next month. One of the major bills the group is looking at is the Governor’s Buffer Strip legislation. Farmers Union Legislative Director Matt Sibley says they’re reviewing the proposal and want to see some legislation approved in that area that protects water.

He says lawmakers need to make sure that if producers are asked to put in buffer strips they should be compensated in some way for that.

Sibley says another area they’re monitoring closely is the state budget and any taxes that agriculture may have to deal with.

Sibley says Farmers Union is also interested in seeing something pass to help fund the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab at SDSU.