443 Part 13 [Reserved]
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Office of the Secretary, USDA § 12.2 PART 12—HIGHLY ERODIBLE LAND (b) Purpose. The purpose of the provi- CONSERVATION AND WETLAND sions of this part are to remove certain CONSERVATION incentives for persons to produce agri- cultural commodities on highly erod- Subpart A—General Provisions ible land or converted wetland and to thereby— Sec. (1) Reduce soil loss due to wind and 12.1 General. water erosion; 12.2 Definitions. 12.3 Applicability. (2) Protect the Nation’s long-term ca- 12.4 Determination of ineligibility. pability to produce food and fiber; 12.5 Exemption. (3) Reduce sedimentation and im- 12.6 Administration. prove water quality; and 12.7 Certification of compliance. (4) Assist in preserving the values, 12.8 Affiliated persons. 12.9 Landlords and tenants. acreage, and functions of the Nation’s 12.10 Scheme or device. wetlands. 12.11 Action based upon advice or action of [61 FR 47025, Sept. 6, 1996, as amended at 76 USDA. FR 82077, Dec. 30, 2011] 12.12 Appeals. 12.13 Special Federal crop insurance pre- mium subsidy provisions. § 12.2 Definitions. (a) General. The following definitions Subpart B—Highly Erodible Land shall be applicable for the purposes of Conservation this part: 12.20 NRCS responsibilities regarding high- Agricultural commodity means any ly erodible land. crop planted and produced by annual 12.21 Identification of highly erodible lands tilling of the soil, including tilling by criteria. one-trip planters, or sugarcane. 12.22 Highly erodible field determination criteria. Approved insurance provider means a 12.23 Conservation plans and conservation private insurance company that has systems. been approved and reinsured by FCIC to provide insurance coverage to per- Subpart C—Wetland Conservation sons participating in programs author- 12.30 NRCS responsibilities regarding wet- ized by the Federal Crop Insurance Act, lands. as amended (7 U.S.C. 1501–1524). 12.31 Wetland identification procedures. Best drained condition means the hy- 12.32 Converted wetland identification cri- drologic conditions with respect to teria. depth, duration, frequency, and timing 12.33 Use of wetland and converted wetland. of soil saturation or inundation result- AUTHORITY: 16 U.S.C. 3801, 3811–12, 3812a, ing from drainage manipulations that 3813–3814, and 3821–3824. occurred prior to December 23, 1985, SOURCE: 61 FR 47025, Sept. 6, 1996, unless and that exist during the wet portion otherwise noted. of the growing season during normal climatic conditions. Subpart A—General Provisions CCC means the Commodity Credit Corporation, a wholly-owned govern- § 12.1 General. ment corporation within USDA orga- (a) Scope. This part sets forth the nized under the provisions of 15 U.S.C. terms and conditions under which a 714 et seq. person who produces an agricultural Conservation District (CD) means a commodity on highly erodible land or subdivision of a State or local govern- designates such land for conservation ment organized pursuant to the appli- use, plants an agricultural commodity cable law to develop and implement on a converted wetland, or converts a soil and water conservation activities wetland shall be determined to be in- or programs. eligible for certain benefits provided by Conservation plan means the docu- the United States Department of Agri- ment that— culture (USDA) and agencies and in- (1) Applies to highly erodible crop- strumentalities of USDA. land; 413 VerDate Sep<11>2014 11:21 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 253012 PO 00000 Frm 00423 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:\SGML\253012.XXX 253012 spaschal on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with CFR § 12.2 7 CFR Subtitle A (1–1–21 Edition) (2) Describes the conservation system Enhancement actions include new ca- applicable to the highly erodible crop- pabilities, management options, struc- land and describes the decisions of the tures, or other actions to influence one person with respect to location, land or several functions and values. use, tillage systems, and conservation Erodibility index means a numerical treatment measures and schedules; and value that expresses the potential (3) Is approved by the local soil con- erodibility of a soil in relation to its servation district in consultation with soil loss tolerance value without con- the local committees established under sideration of applied conservation section 8(b)(5) of the Soil Conservation practices or management. and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. FCIC means the Federal Crop Insur- 590h(b)(5)) and the Natural Resources ance Corporation, a wholly owned cor- Conservation Service (NRCS) for pur- poration within USDA whose programs poses of compliance with this part. are administered by RMA. Conservation system means a combina- FSA means the Farm Service Agency, tion of one or more conservation meas- an agency of USDA which is generally ures or management practices that responsible for administering com- are— modity production adjustment and cer- (1) Based on local resource condi- tain conservation programs of USDA. tions, available conservation tech- Field means a part of a farm that is nology, and the standards and guide- separated from the balance of the farm lines contained in the NRCS field office by permanent boundaries such as technical guides (available from NRCS fences, roads, permanent waterways, or State offices); and other similar features. At the option of (2) Designed for purposes of this part the owner or operator of the farm, to achieve, in a cost-effective and tech- croplines may also be used to delineate nically practicable manner, a substan- a field if farming practices make it tial reduction in soil erosion or a sub- probable that the croplines are not sub- stantial improvement in soil condi- ject to change. Any highly erodible tions on a field or group of fields con- land on which an agricultural com- taining highly erodible cropland when modity is produced after December 23, compared to the level of erosion or soil 1985, and is not exempt under § 12.5(a), conditions that existed before the ap- shall be considered part of the field in plication of the conservation measures which the land was included on Decem- and management practices. ber 23, 1985, unless, to carry out this Conservation use or set aside means title, the owner and FSA agree to mod- cropland that is designated as con- ify the boundaries of the field. servation-use acreage, set aside, or Highly erodible land means land that other similar designation for the pur- has an erodibility index of 8 or more. pose of fulfilling provisions under any Hydric soils means soils that, in an acreage-limitation or land-diversion undrained condition, are saturated, program administered by the Secretary flooded, or ponded long enough during of Agriculture requiring that the pro- a growing season to develop an anaer- ducer devote a specified acreage to con- obic condition that supports the servation or other non-crop production growth and regeneration of uses. hydrophytic vegetation. Creation of a wetland means the devel- Hydrophytic vegetation means plants opment of the hydrologic, geochemical, growing in water or in a substrate that and biological components necessary is at least periodically deficient in oxy- to support and maintain a wetland gen during a growing season as a result where a wetland did not previously of excessive water content. exist. Any wetland established on a Landlord means a person who rents or non-hydric soil will be considered a leases farmland to another person. created wetland. Local FSA office means the county of- Department means the United States fice of the Farm Service Agency serv- Department of Agriculture (USDA). ing the county or a combination of Enhancement of a wetland means the counties in the area in which a person’s alteration of an existing wetland to in- land is located for administrative pur- crease its specific functions and values. poses. 414 VerDate Sep<11>2014 11:21 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 253012 PO 00000 Frm 00424 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:\SGML\253012.XXX 253012 spaschal on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with CFR Office of the Secretary, USDA § 12.2 NIFA means the National Institute of Restoration of a wetland means the re- Food and Agriculture, an agency of establishment of wetland conditions, USDA which is generally responsible including hydrologic condition or na- for coordinating the information and tive hydrophytic vegetation, to an area educational programs of USDA. where a wetland had previously ex- Normal climatic conditions means the isted. normal range of hydrologic inputs on a RMA means the Risk Management site as determined by the bounds pro- Agency, an agency within USDA that vided in the Climate Analysis for Wet- administers the programs of the FCIC lands Tables or methods posted in the through which Federally reinsured Field Office Technical Guide. crop insurance is provided to American NRCS means the Natural Resources farmers and ranchers. Conservation Service, an agency within USDA which is generally responsible Secretary means the Secretary of for providing technical assistance in USDA. matters of natural resources conserva- Sharecropper means a person who per- tion and for administering certain con- forms work in connection with the pro- servation programs of USDA. duction of a crop under the supervision Operator means the person who is in of the operator and who receives a general control of the farming oper- share of such crop for such labor. ations on the farm during the crop Soil map unit means an area of the year. landscape shown on a soil map which Owner means a person who is deter- consists of one or more soils. mined to have legal ownership of farm- State means each of the 50 states, the land and shall include a person who is District of Columbia, the Common- purchasing farmland under contract. wealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Vir- Person means an individual, partner- gin Islands of the United States, Amer- ship, association, corporation, coopera- ican Samoa, the Commonwealth of the tive, estate, trust, joint venture, joint Northern Mariana Islands, or the Trust operation, or other business enterprise Territory of the Pacific Islands.