USC Subchapter VI

in effect

16 U.S.C. § 3471 Payments for land removed from production for conservation purposes; authorization of appropriations

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into contracts to provide financial assistance in the form of payments to owners and operators of cropland located in counties where the soil normally freezes to a depth of at least four inches annually who remove such land from agricultural production for a period not to exceed one year for the purpose of installing enduring conservation measures which involve excavation of the soil. The payments under such contracts shall be in such amounts as determined by the Secretary to be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this subchapter but shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of acres of cropland removed from agricultural production for such purpose multiplied by 50 per centum of the typical annual rent, as determined by the Secretary, paid for similar land in the county. Financial assistance may not be provided under this section with respect to any conservation measure without the approval of the soil and water conservation district board for the district in which the land is located, and may not, in the aggregate, be provided in any year with respect to more than one-half of 1 per centum of the cropland in any county. (b) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, such sums to remain available until expended.

16 U.S.C. § 3472 Conservation tillage; Congressional findings, etc.

(a) Congress finds that—(1) domestic and international demand for agricultural products from the United States is great and is expected to significantly increase over the next twenty years; (2) the ability of the United States to provide agricultural products to meet that demand is seriously impaired by the annual loss of five billion tons of soil due to wind and water erosion; (3) the battle against soil erosion is being lost despite the annual expenditure of millions of dollars by the Federal Government on research, technical assistance, and conservation incentives to control soil erosion; (4) conservation tillage practices are estimated to reduce soil erosion by 50 to 90 per centum over conventional farming practices; and (5) conservation tillage may result in better yields, greater land use flexibility, decreased fuel use, decreased labor and equipment costs, increased retention of soil moisture, and more productive land than conventional farming practices and may be adaptable to a broad range of soil types and slopes throughout the country. (b) It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture should, and is hereby urged and requested to—(1) direct the attention of our Nation’s farmers to the costs and benefits of conservation tillage as a means of controlling soil erosion and improving profitability; and (2) conduct a program of research designed to resolve any unanswered questions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of conservation tillage over other soil conservation practices.

16 U.S.C. § 3473 Regulations

The Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

16 U.S.C. § 3474 Conservation incentives landowner education program

(a) In generalNot later than 1 year after March 12, 2019, the Secretary shall establish a conservation incentives landowner education program (referred to in this section as the “program”). (b) Purpose of programThe program shall provide information on Federal conservation programs available to landowners interested in undertaking conservation actions on the land of the landowners, including options under each conservation program available to achieve the conservation goals of the program, such as—(1) fee title land acquisition; (2) donation; and (3) perpetual and term conservation easements or agreements. (c) AvailabilityThe Secretary shall ensure that the information provided under the program is made available to—(1) interested landowners; and (2) the public. (d) NotificationIn any case in which the Secretary contacts a landowner directly about participation in a Federal conservation program, the Secretary shall, in writing—(1) notify the landowner of the program; and (2) make available information on the conservation program options that may be available to the landowner.