Much of the focus at the National Farmers Union Annual Convention was on consolidation within the ag industry. NFU Vice President and Aberdeen, South Dakota farmer, Jeff Kippley says it’s not just something affecting farmers. “We have very limited people that we can sell cattle to, very limited people that we can buy our inputs from, and that becomes an issue. Unfortunately, it not only is hurting our farmers, but it’s hurting our consumers on the other end.” Kippley also stressed the importance of supporting the next generation of farmers. “That’s something we’ve put a new focus on this year. We rolled out our Next Gen program and it’s so exciting to see the states provide so many young people to a national convention here this week and really get the input from what they’re feeling. It’s a real important issue to get them to the table to listen to what they need.”
