South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard is proposing a buffer plan bill for the Legislature’s Ag Land Assessment Task Force. The Governor’s Policy Advisor Hunter Roberts says the buffer strip program is voluntary and would cover close to 11,000 miles of streams and rivers in South Dakota.
He says after the vegetation is in place, then landowners can determine whether their land is classified as crop land or non-crop land and apply for a tax break accordingly.
Roberts says the primary aim of the proposed buffer legislation is to improve the state’s water quality.
Roberts says the proposed buffer legislation will be presented to the Ag Land Assessment Task Force next week.
