Thune Comments on USDA Conservation Reserve Program Decision

Statement

Thune Comments on USDA Conservation Reserve Program Decision

Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Edward Schafer's announcement that USDA will not allow early termination of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts without penalty.

"South Dakota agriculture and our state's economy depend on CRP and other conservation easement programs for protection of marginal land and to provide habitat for pheasants and other game species, which contribute more than $200 million to South Dakota's economy," said Thune. "I am very pleased to see CRP evolve into programs such as State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) and other continuous CRP practices, which provide sound economic alternatives to pouring high dollar inputs into poor land. Farm Bill conservation practices have become an integral part of nearly every farming operation in South Dakota, and we shouldn't be diminishing their effectiveness by allowing their useful life to end prematurely."

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