Wanda Blair, Richard Vasgaard, and Norman Geigle were in Washington, D.C. the last week in February for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Advocacy Conference, where they participated in their first sessions of the AFBF Issue Advisory Committees.
Wanda Blair, SDFB Vice President and rancher from Vale, S.D., was selected from a national pool of applicants for the Animal Care Committee. Richard Vasgaard, farmer and SDFB Director from Centerville, was chosen for the Irritation Committee. Norman Geigle, rancher and SDFB Director from Wall, was chosen for the Energy Committee. Each AFBF Issue Advisory Committee is comprised of 12 Farm Bureau members from across the nation who can share expertise in that topic area.
“Farm Bureau is a strong organization because of volunteers like Wanda, Rick, and Norm who take time away from their farm or ranch to participate in these kinds of leadership activities,” commented Wayne Smith, SDFB Executive Director. “No one has more expertise than a farmer or rancher who works with these topics every day in a hands-on setting. We appreciate and applaud these members for their advocacy work on behalf of agriculture.” The SDFB members are shown here with Senator John Thune after their visit with him at his office on the Hill. The group met with the entire South Dakota delegation while they were in D.C. to discuss the EPA "Waters of the U.S." rule, international trade, tax reform, and more. Back row, left to right: Josh Geigle, Senator Thune, Scott VanderWal, and Richard Vasgaard. Front row: Norman Geigle and Wanda Blair.
South Dakota Farm Bureau is the state’s largest agriculture association, representing more than 14,300 farm, ranch, and rural member families across the state.