§3839aa–25 Grassland Conservation Initiative

Summary

The Secretary must set up a grassland conservation initiative to help farmers protect grazing, improve soil, water, and wildlife, and keep grassland on certain cropland through special contracts. Eligible land — cropland on a farm that still has base acres recorded under 7 U.S.C. 9012(d)(3). Initiative — the grassland conservation program created by the Secretary. Starting in fiscal year 2019, producers get one chance to sign a 5-year grassland conservation contract for eligible land. To enroll, the Secretary will rank the land under the program’s scoring rules and accept land that scores high enough. Under the contract a producer must meet or beat the stewardship threshold for at least one priority resource concern by the end of the contract and follow the contract terms. The contract lasts one nonrenewable 5-year term, but a producer may end it early and keep any payments already received. Plans under the contract only cover the eligible land and grassland issues. Annual payment is $18 per acre, up to the farm’s base acres, paid from the program’s funds starting FY2019. These contracts are not eligible for the payments in 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d) and are not subject to the subpart’s payment limits. Land under the contract counts as planted to a covered commodity for that crop year. If a farm has land eligible under both this initiative and 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–23, the producer may choose which program to use for each tract.