 Celebrating 25 years of easements in South Dakota, that's a great thing. I think of easements as one more tool in our conservation toolbox. We have conservation programs entitled to the Farm Bill that allow us to solve individual particular problems on farms like equip, pay farmers and ranchers to continue their stewardship of their land through the conservation stewardship program, participate in a 10-year conservation reserve program, but now also talking about easements and really protecting land for the long-term. Some would say that those lands need to be kept in production, but really they're being reserved for future needs of this nation. It's important to think of conservation reserve easements as really reserved. They're held for a later time when we need it. In the meantime, they're providing great habitat for important species that need some help. So it's kind of a dual win. It's value for the taxpayers and it is value for individual landowners. It's a voluntary program and that's what's great because we also aren't looking for the best land. We're looking for that land that is not quite so productive or that landowners have struggled to farm in the past. Hello everyone, this is Matt Lohr and I have the great honor of serving as chief of NRCS. I had a chance to spend some time here in the great state of South Dakota this week and what a pleasure it's been for me to have a chance to see the beautiful countryside and to learn more about the issues that are very important to everyone here in the state. The main reason I came out to South Dakota to visit was for me to get a better understanding of the wetlands issues that are faced here in South Dakota with the compliance and highly rotable lands compliance. Obviously this has been an issue that you guys have been dealing with for many, many years and so it was very helpful for me to come and see firsthand. Being able to visit with the farmers who try to farm these areas, seeing their challenges and struggles and being able to work with the NRCS staff on their side was really enlightening for me. The cool thing about being here is even though there's a lot of challenges, NRCS and South Dakota has a lot of programs that can really help our producers work through some of these issues. As you know, EQUIP is a wonderful tool with practices that can help farmers be better stewards. Certainly CSP, South Dakota leads the country in CSP contracts that can help farmers really go to that next step with their incentives to make sure that they're farming the land to the best of their abilities and certainly one of the best tools that we have to work in these complex areas is easements. Certainly the Wetlands Reserve easement program. I know it celebrates 25 years this year that WRE has been in effect. I had a chance yesterday to actually go out and visit with the farmer who has easements on his land and be able to listen to him and work through the process and see the benefits of being able to have that better soil health, reduce the flooding, improve the water quality. More importantly make sure that land will stay a wetland and remain out of production for either 30 years or even forever. As a farmer in Virginia we have permanent conservation easements on our property because I understand the value and the importance of easements and for my family making sure that that land can stay productive for for the next many many generations. So just want to say congratulations on all your work. It's great to be here in South Dakota and see the practices that are being in place and certainly want to say congratulations to everyone who's been involved with the Wetland Reserve easement program for 25 years.