Private Property Rally Set For Jan. 8 in Pierre, SD

Today, I would like to tell you a story of my family’s history. My grandfather, Alvin Nolz, only had an eighth grade education. 

Yet, he grew up understanding more than most the value of faith, family, farming, and freedom.

He served our country during the Korean War. He came home, and met a sweet little red head at a local dance.

They married in the Catholic Church, and started a life and family together. Eventually, they settled at the place I call “home,” north of Mitchell, South Dakota.

When Alvin purchased the land, the neighbors scoffed at him. They told him he would never make it. Just a poor, dumb farm kid. He would never last. He would go broke first.

But my grandpa was determined. Gritty. Stubborn. Probably a little hard-headed, too. 

He worked the land with old, rusty equipment. Again, the neighbors laughed. But he never gave up or gave in, despite the naysayers. He was resolved to succeed, no matter what. 

Three years later, he had the bank note paid off on that land, and those acres are still owned and operated by my family to do this day. 

It’s not just a cute anecdote to say that he put “blood, sweat, and tears” into the farm and ranch he built. It was the reality, and now, three generations later, my four children (his great grandchildren) are learning the same lessons and building upon the legacy that he started many decades ago.

Alvin’s story isn’t unique, but it’s special to me. And much like the many hard-working farming and ranching families that I know and love, he dedicated his life to the pursuit of excellence in agriculture. 

That love and passion has been passed down to the next generations, and it’s a life my family will fight to protect and preserve.

Per the South Dakota Constitution, we have specific inherent rights that our elected officials are bound, by oath on a Bible, to protect.

“All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring and protecting property, and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights governments are instituted by men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Emphasis on “acquiring and protecting property” and “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The state of South Dakota, and particularly conservatives and agriculturalists, appear to be divided on this core principle of our constitution. Perhaps some need a reminder. Let me help. 

There are some among us who use words like “progress,” “value-added ag,” “public-private partnerships,” “carbon credits,” and “sustainability,” to justify the stripping of independence and private property rights in this state and our country.

They want to use your tax dollars to fund their private projects, and they’ll do it at the expense of the land you have poured generations of blood, sweat, and tears into to acquire and keep. 

Of course, I’m referencing a proposed privately-owned pipeline that will stop at nothing to plow through the private property of tax-paying citizens in order to push their project forward. But if allowed to use eminent domain to complete, this is just the beginning of the onslaught that is to come. 

In the mighty pursuit of the dollar, we are losing the very essence of what makes South Dakota great — resilience, independence, entrepreneurship, utilizing our natural resources, and being home to incredible farmers and ranchers who feed the world.

In a recent visit with one of the proponents of this pipeline, where I stressed the importance of maintaining private property rights, I was asked in response, “Should one landowner get in the way of progress?”

That mentality is quite alarming. We don't live under mob rule, where the majority can outpower the little guy. Nor should we allow that to happen in a free and fair society.

The answer to his question is actually quite simple — read what the Constitution says, and then ask yourself this question: Are we protecting the individual as the Constitution reads, or are we throwing citizens to the wolves to advance a corporate, climate-change agenda fueled by power, control, and greed?

I proudly and firmly stand with family farmers and ranchers, with independent landowners, with the grassroots citizens who call this state home. And I hope you will join me in that effort.

I invite you to Pierre, South Dakota on January 8 in the Capitol Rotunda at 12 pm CST for a Property Rights Rally featuring landowners, legislators, and concerned citizens. Speak up for the little guy, and let our elected officials know you believe that protecting property rights and ensuring that local governments maintain their just power are two critical components of freedom. 

I hope to see you there!