- advanced grazing management
means the use of a combination of grazing practices (as determined by the Secretary), which may include management-intensive rotational grazing, that provide for—
- agricultural commodity
means—
- agricultural land easement
means an easement or other interest in eligible land that—
- agricultural operation
means all eligible land, whether or not contiguous, that is—
- beginning farmer or rancher
has the meaning given the term in section 1991(a)(8) of title 7.
- buy-protect-sell transaction
means a legal arrangement—
- comprehensive conservation plan
means a conservation plan that meets or exceeds the stewardship threshold for each priority resource concern identified by the Secretary under subsection (a)(2).
- conservation activities
includes—
- conservation district
means any district or unit of State or local government formed under State or territorial law for the express purpose of developing and carrying out a local soil and water conservation program.
- conservation plan
means the document that—
- conservation planning assessment
means a report, as determined by the Secretary, that—
- conservation stewardship plan
means a plan that—
- conservation system
means a combination of 1 or more conservation measures or management practices that—
- converted wetland
means wetland that has been drained, dredged, filled, leveled, or otherwise manipulated (including any activity that results in impairing or reducing the flow, circulation, or reach of water) for the purpose or to have the effect of making the production of an agricultural commodity possible if—
- cost sharing payment
means a payment made by the Secretary to an owner or operator of a farm or ranch containing highly erodible cropland under the provisions of section 3834(b) of this title.
- covered contract
means a contract entered into under this subpart that—
- covered program
means a program carried out by the Secretary under—
- CREP
means a conservation reserve enhancement program carried out under subsection (b)(1).
- critical conservation area
means a geographical area that contains a critical conservation condition that can be addressed through the program.
- Department
means the Department of Agriculture.
- eligible activity
means a practice, activity, agreement, easement, or related conservation measure that is available under the statutory authority for a covered program.
- eligible entity
means, as determined by the Secretary—
- eligible land
means privately owned agricultural land (including land in which a State has a property interest as a result of State water law)—
- eligible participant
means a producer, landowner, or entity that is participating in, or seeking to participate in, programs in which the producer, landowner, or entity is otherwise eligible to participate under this chapter or the agricultural management assistance program under section 1524(b) of title 7.
- eligible partner
means—
- farm
means a farm that—
- field
means a part of a farm that is separated from the balance of the farm by permanent boundaries such as fences, roads, permanent waterways, or other similar features.
- highly erodible cropland
means highly erodible land that is in cropland use, as determined by the Secretary.
- highly erodible land
means land—
- hydric soil
means soil that, in its undrained condition, is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during a growing season to develop an anaerobic condition that supports the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation.
- hydrophytic vegetation
means a plant growing in—
- in-kind commodities
means commodities that are normally produced on land that is the subject of an agreement entered into under subchapter IV.
- incentive practice
means a practice or set of practices approved by the Secretary that, when implemented and maintained on eligible land, address 1 or more priority resource concerns.
- Indian tribe
has the meaning given the term in section 5304(e) of title 25.
- initiative
means the grassland conservation initiative established under subsection (b).
- integrated pest management
means a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks.
- livestock
means all animals raised on farms, as determined by the Secretary.
- management
means an activity conducted by an owner or operator under a contract entered into under this subpart after the establishment of a conservation practice on eligible land, to regularly maintain or enhance the vegetative cover established by the conservation practice—
- management-intensive rotational grazing
means a strategic, adaptively managed multipasture grazing system in which animals are regularly and systematically moved to fresh pasture in a manner that—
- monitoring report
means a report, the contents of which are formulated and prepared by the holder of an agricultural land easement, that accurately documents whether the land subject to the agricultural land easement is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the agricultural land easement.
- new or innovative conservation approach
means—
- nonindustrial private forest land
means rural land, as determined by the Secretary, that—
- organic system plan
means an organic plan approved under the national organic program established under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.).
- partnership agreement
means the programmatic agreement entered into between the Secretary and an eligible partner, subject to the terms and conditions under section 3871b of this title.
- payment
means financial assistance provided to a producer for performing practices under this subpart, including compensation for—
- practice
means 1 or more improvements and conservation activities that are consistent with the purposes of the program under this subpart, as determined by the Secretary, including—
- priority resource concern
means a natural resource concern or problem, as determined by the Secretary, that—
- private grazing land
means private, State-owned, tribally-owned, and any other non-federally owned rangeland, pastureland, grazed forest land, and hay land.
- program
means the voluntary land purchase program established under this section.
- program contract
means the contract between the Secretary and a producer entered into under this subchapter.
- rental payment
means a payment made by the Secretary to an owner or operator of a farm or ranch containing highly erodible cropland to compensate the owner or operator for retiring such land from crop production and placing such land in the conservation reserve in accordance with subchapter IV.
- resource-conserving crop rotation
means a crop rotation that—
- Secretary
means the Secretary of Agriculture.
- shelterbelt
means a vegetative barrier with a linear configuration composed of trees, shrubs, and other approved perennial vegetation.
- socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher
has the meaning given the term in section 2279(e)(2) 1 of title 7.
- soil remediation
means scientifically based practices that—
- soil testing
means the evaluation of soil health, including testing for—
- State
means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
- stewardship threshold
means the level of management required, as determined by the Secretary, to conserve and improve the quality and condition of a natural resource through the use of—
- technical assistance
means technical expertise, information, and tools necessary for the conservation of natural resources on land active in agricultural, forestry, or related uses.
- terminal lake
means a lake and its associated riparian and watershed resources that is—
- third-party provider
means a commercial entity (including a farmer cooperative, agriculture retailer, or other commercial entity (as defined by the Secretary)), a nonprofit entity, a State or local government (including a conservation district), or a Federal agency, that has expertise in the technical aspect of conservation planning, including nutrient management planning, watershed planning, or environmental engineering.
- vegetative cover
means—
- wetland reserve easement
means a reserved interest in eligible land that—