"South Dakota's Prairie Pothole Region is North America's best breeding habitat," said DU's Don Young, "and DU appreciates the outstanding leadership role Senator Thune has displayed by building on the 2002 Farm Bill's Conservation Title and fighting to include a common-sense `sodsaver' provision in the Senate's Farm Bill."
"South Dakota is unique in that it ranks as one of the top ten agricultural states; is poised to contribute immensely to our Nation's alternative energy supply; and derives a significant portion of its revenue from hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation activities," said Thune.
"In order to ensure South Dakota's agriculture, energy and outdoor recreation potential continues to grow, a sound farm bill Conservation Title is critical to the future of South Dakota. Foremost under the Conservation Title, my goal is to preserve the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage cap at 39.2 million acres, and to continue other sound conservation programs including the Grasslands Reserve Program.
"'Sodsaver' does not take away a landowner's right to convert native sod to cropland, this provision simply prohibits crop insurance and other federally funded disaster insurance from being available for this converted prairie land, which eliminates misguided incentives."