Serving in the Arizona State Senate, District 25, since January of 2018, Senator Sine Kerr finished her term as the new legislature was sworn in on January 13th. District 25 covers portions of western Maricopa County and portions of Yuma County which have large rural and agricultural areas and includes approximately 220,000 residents.

Senator Kerr, along with her husband, Bill, recently owned and operated a four-generation dairy farm in Buckeye since 1980. They have four adult children and twelve grandchildren that keep their lives full and exciting. Rumor has it that the oldest grandchildren are good at negotiating with their grandparents for all-cousin sleepovers, a possible sign the leadership skills run deep in this family.

Senator Kerr has been reappointed to serve her second three-year term on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

She previously served as State Chair of the Arizona Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee, Chair of the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Food and Policy Advisory Committee, Maricopa County Department of Air Quality Hearing Board, and a member of the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Her passion as a small business and dairy farm owner served her well on the Senate committees in which she served: Chair of Natural Resources, Energy, and Water; Chair of Senate Ethics; Member of Transportation and Technology; Appropriations; Joint Legislative Budget Committee; and Joint Committee on Capitol review. She also served as vice chair of Director Nominees Committee and the Education Committee, as well as being elected by her caucus after the 2022 election to serve as Majority Whip.

Now pivoting away from the Arizona legislature, Senator Kerr plans to stay involved in politics and civic engagement. Having known Senator Kerr from her days in Farm Bureau leadership, I can attest that her passion for Arizona's agriculture remains as strong as ever. She is well-prepared for the new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Arizona Agriculture: Reflect on your last 7 years as an Arizona legislator in the Senate chamber. Share how it all evolved, how you shared with your family your conviction to run originally for the House and how the Senate seat opportunity emerged.

Senator Kerr: As I became more involved in leadership positions within Farm Bureau, beginning with Maricopa County Farm Bureau and expanding to the state level, as well as participating in Project CENTRL and other leadership development programs, I became increasingly interested and plugged into public policies that affected agriculture in general and our family farm. During an Arizona Farm Bureau trip to D.C., I remember distinctly thinking, “We need more farmers on the other side of those desks who understand what we’re dealing with making policy decisions.” I never considered it would be me one day, but that’s when the ball really began rolling on my journey to the state Capitol.  

On a visit to our state House of Representatives to meet with our representative on a farming issue, I was asked to consider running for his position when he termed out. I said that I would think about it and really didn’t give it much more of a thought, other than to mention it to Bill. I took it as a kind compliment. Around the same time, others began asking me if I had any interest in running for public office, so I began thinking about it more seriously and began praying about it and discussing the possibility with my family. As I didn’t really know the first thing about running for office, it seemed too out of my comfort zone to truly consider committing. My Representative stayed in touch and provided me with a sort of step-by-step plan to prepare me for filing one day. 

It wasn’t long after that, I began sensing a strong conviction to run for office if the opportunity arose. It absolutely needed to be a decision that my husband, Bill, agreed with and our family supported. A few months later I received a text from the Representative asking, “are you ready?” The second House seat would become available due to that member choosing to run for a state-wide office. After a couple of days discussing and praying about it, my answer was “yes.” I met with a consultant and filed my paperwork at the Secretary of State’s office. It was one of the most frightening things I have ever done! 

I began meeting with as many people and organizations as I could. I knew it would be an uphill battle due to my low name recognition in the legislative district. We were committed, though, and hit the ground running! This all occurred in the spring of 2017. I was grateful to have a solid 18 months before the November 2018 election. 

Well, as it goes in the world of politics, circumstances change on a dime! In December of 2017, the Senator in my district resigned to run for a congressional seat. The resignation kicked off a time clock for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to appoint a replacement. I wasn’t originally considering applying for the appointment, thinking the House was a better fit for me being a novice to politics, but after several calls from fellow farmers and agriculture organizations, I decided to apply for the appointment. It was a huge advantage that I had just completed American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Communication Boot Camp in October where I learned how to put together a concise three-minute speech. After being selected by our precinct committeemen along with two others to be considered by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, I was ultimately appointed on January 4th, 2018, and was sworn in on January 8th as the Senator for LD13. It may sound a bit simplistic, but in between decisions and changing circumstances, there was a whole lot of anxiousness, uncertainty, and downright fear! This wasn’t part of my plan, but thankfully, God’s plan was different!  

Arizona Agriculture: What drew you to making this level of leadership, civic commitment?

Senator Kerr: I was drawn to this level of leadership and civic commitment because of my passion for our industry and my desire to do all I could to ensure a strong and vibrant future for agriculture for generations to come and knowing it is at the policy-making level where impactful influence and decision making are key.

 

Arizona Agriculture: What factors in your life do you feel prepared you for this very important commitment?

Senator Kerr: Factors that prepared me for this important commitment stem back to my love for my community and livelihood. In addition to my dad’s 21 years of service in the Army that was deeply inspiring, my mother played a large role in teaching me and modeling what servanthood looked like. Being civic-minded began all the way back to my grade school years. As a 4-H member, I loved the community service projects I participated in. I was elected to student council in the 8th grade and continued in student government through high school, ultimately being elected senior class president. (I met Bill in high school student government!)  I learned at an early age in order to make a difference you need to get involved and commit to serving in various roles. As a young farmer and business partner, I loved diving into policies that affected our farm as well as the agriculture industry as a whole. It is a passion I will always carry with me.

 

Arizona Agriculture: I know you are disappointed and frustrated with the outcome of SB1221 — where do you see this going from here?

Senator Kerr: SB1221 was the most incredible piece of legislation I had the privilege to be part of. It truly was built from the grassroots up. I believe strongly that this is how legislation should always be constructed. While it was disappointing that we didn’t have enough Republican members present on Sine Die to get the bill up on the governor’s desk, it was a huge success. We chose to put the SB1221 up on the board for a vote in the House because we knew it was important to show the public and those who worked tirelessly on the bill that we had every single Republican member vote in favor. But for the absences, the bill would have made it out of the legislature. 

I believe SB1221 is a great starting point for rural groundwater basin management moving forward. Where it goes from here depends on the members who will champion the next iteration. No doubt there is great potential for common sense, implementable basin management tools that will preserve and protect basins in peril and protect our rural economies without being detrimental to our farmers and ranchers who keep our rural communities thriving.

 

Arizona Agriculture: If we don't get the water issue right, what's at stake?

Senator Kerr: Getting water policy right is imperative for Arizona agriculture to thrive and remain viable. Water policy that targets large water users is coming from many directions with no consideration for who benefits from that water use. The anti-ag groups only see an amount or percentage of water being used by agriculture and don’t consider that every drop we use for crops is consumed by the public as well as the recharge that benefits aquifers when we irrigate. They don’t recognize that the majority of our rural communities depend on agriculture to be successful for their economic survival. For some rural counties up to 90% of their economies depend on agriculture’s success.

 

Arizona Agriculture: Moving away from the water issue, what is one thing that you're extremely proud of that took place in the 7 years you were in the legislature?

Senator Kerr: I'm most proud of protecting Arizona agriculture during my tenure in the Senate by not only supporting and sponsoring sound legislation but also stopping bad legislation. Additionally, I’m extremely proud of the times I was able to convene the right people or groups of people to solve an issue. It didn’t always require a statutory fix, sometimes it was a matter of sitting around the table and talking it out. It was surprising to me that this doesn’t take place more often. Several groups I convened commented that they had never sat together to hammer out a solution. It wasn’t always pleasant or successful, but it was always worth the effort! 

 

Arizona Agriculture: You recently talked about a time when you'd sometimes need to leave the floor and just make a call to family. Talk about this and how it shored you up for debate or for the challenging legislation about to take place. What is the counsel for others in the thick of a crisis?

Senator Kerr: In the heat of the battle on certain issues, I needed to step back a minute, take a breath, clear my mind so I could get back in the battle. It was during those times that I would either text my family asking for specific prayer and/or calling Bill to chat about something other than what I was working on. Bill knew instinctively what to do and would tell me about his day and what he was doing on the farm. It was crucial for me to be able to do that. It helped me stay focused on the issue before me without getting caught up in the emotion or the politics. I always strived to be measured and thoughtful when making difficult policy decisions or in the middle of tough negotiations. Stepping back for even a few minutes was a key strategy that worked very well for me. 

 

Arizona Agriculture: What would you say to others thinking of running for political office?

Senator Kerr: For anyone considering running for office, I say, “Do it!”   I frequently encourage others to run for office or to take the opportunity if it arises even if it’s never been a goal or something they thought they would ever want to do. Each of us is equipped with perspectives, experiences, and passion that would serve the people of Arizona and the legislative body as a whole well and I believe it is one of the most profoundly humbling experiences I’ve ever had. To be a participant in our constitutional republic as an elected official is so incredible! 

I stand in awe of the wisdom and conviction of our founding fathers in putting together our representative form of government. To know that you have been entrusted to carry the weight of representing the voice and vote of the people in your legislative district and the state is a responsibility not to be taken lightly but rather to be done with much thoughtfulness and consideration. It is truly one of the greatest honors of my life. 

 

Arizona Agriculture: Okay, the question we're all wondering, and I get to ask: What are your aspirations for the future?

Senator Kerr: As I write answers to these questions, it has only been four days since my term ended. I find myself still “catching my breath” from the past seven years. I will consider all my options and make a prayerful decision in the coming months. At this time, I don’t believe my time of public service is over and all options are open for discussion and consideration. One thing I have quit saying to myself is, “I will never…….”. My faith guides my decisions, and I will trust the Lord’s guidance for direction in my future endeavors. 

Editor's Note: This article first appeared in the February 2025 issue of Arizona Agriculture.