A group of northeast South Dakota farmers have formed the Anti Merger Alliance and are opposing the proposed merger of South Dakota Wheat Growers and North Central Farmers Elevator into one Cooperative. Alliance spokesman and Mellette area farmer Lannie Mielke says they support cooperatives but have concerns with this proposal.
Mielke says one of the major problems with the proposed merger is lack of competition.
Mielke says it’s important that whatever cooperatives are serving farmers that they’re controlled locally and not by big corporations.
Mielke says initially their Alliance started with a dozen people opposed to the proposed merger and now they’ve grown to 75.