The United States Senate has passed the 2007 Farm Bill. Critical conservation needs are now one step closer to being met.DU supporters were instrumental in shaping the Senate’s version of the farm bill. Many positive things for conservation were included in the bill because DU members contacted their Senators. Amendments that could have hurt conservation were pulled back without being offered, and some really important tweaks have been made. A thank you and congratulations goes out to all those who contacted their senators.

This moves America’s farmers one step closer to having the much needed tools to farm the best and conserve the rest. Ducks Unlimited appreciates the attention the Senate paid to conservation.

The farm bill has shaped more conservation, and put more funding on the ground than any other suite of legislation. America’s farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen have been reaping a harvest that provides value well beyond the traditional crops. DU is pleased to be part of the shaping of the bill to ensure the continuation of these vital programs.

As DU continues to delve into the details of amendments added on the Senate floor, a few initial points critical to wildlife are worth highlighting:

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We still need your help!

The recently passed House Version of the 2007 Farm Bill is now in the Senate.

Ducks Unlimited members and supporters can take an active role in helping to protect critical conservation programs by contacting their Senators and letting them know how important it is to landowners and waterfowl.

Funding for conservation programs is under attack as the Senate continues their work on the Farm Bill. Programs that are critical to waterfowl population success, like the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program are in jeopardy.

These programs are vital to keeping more habitat on the ground and more ducks in the sky.

Without these programs, we could see a negative impact on waterfowl hunter harvests across the United States.

You Can Help Guarantee Our Waterfowl Hunting Heritage

Together we can make a positive difference for our waterfowl hunting heritage. But, we all need our voices to be heard.

With two simple phone calls you can help make sure the Senate Agriculture Committee does not take a step backward on conservation.

The message is simple: Save farm bill conservation, save waterfowl habitat.

Please call your Senator today and tell them to support Farm Bill conservation! If not, waterfowl hunting as we know it might change forever.

Check Out other ways to help:

· Monitor the Media and Write Letters to the Editor: By monitoring the media and responding to editorials about agricultural policy, you can educate your community about the significance of the Farm Bill to waterfowl and wetlands in your flyway.

· Spread the Word: You are the “ground troops” in educating your family, friends, and fellow waterfowlers on why they need to get involved.

An important need at this time is a provision to protect native prairie grasslands. Ducks Unlimited is supporting a Sodsaver provision that would help discourage the conversion of native grasslands. Below is a draft letter you can use to help spread the word.

Letter to Editor Draft

Dear (Enter editor name and paper here),

Native Prairie: A disappearing national treasure

"Farm the Best, Conserve the Rest"

A national treasure is disappearing with little more than a shrug from the American public. Our 10-thousand-year-old native grasslands are being lost at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, it seems very few people recognize and appreciate their value and beauty.

More than 70 percent of the nation’s original native prairie has been lost. Much of the remaining prairie is on poor quality soils not suited for production agriculture. Compared to 2006, the latest USDA figures show a 40 percent jump this year in the conversion of native grasslands into cropland.

Landowners in North Dakota and Montana plowed out 30,000 acres of native prairie in 2007. More than 20,000 of those acres were in the Prairie Pothole Region, the world’s most valuable duck nesting habitat. Data from South Dakota is not yet available, but that state has had the highest rates of prairie conversion in the last few years. Unfortunately, these croplands on poor soils are highly vulnerable to erosion.

Our native prairie provides values to society that are lost once these prairies are converted to cropland. Grasslands provide habitat for our wildlife, preserve our soil and water quality, and remove carbon dioxide from the air, thereby potentially helping to address global climate change.

This recent increase in the loss of grassland is driven mostly by a rise in the price of commodities such as wheat, corn and soybeans. These prices will moderate, but that may not happen before many more thousands of acres of native prairie are lost forever.

High commodity prices are not the only factor driving the conversion. Current farm policy provides substantial risk protection on these marginal acres through crop insurance and disaster payments, which are paid for by the U.S. taxpayers.

A recent congressional report, Farm Program Payments Are an Important Factor in Landowner’s Decisions to Convert Grassland to Cropland, highlighted the relationship between government risk support and grassland conversion. This report found that farm program payments, like crop and disaster insurance, remove the risk of planting on margi