Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1786

 12 2 STA T . 1 763PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 4 6 —J U NE 1 8, 2008 dif f er e ntc riteri a f o r deter m inin g t h e acce p ta b i l it y of con - tract offer s in v ario u s S tates and regions of the U nited States based on the e x tent to w hich water q uality or wild- life habitat may be improved or erosion may be abated .‘ ‘ (C)LOCALPREF ERE N CE. —I n determining the accept- ability of contract offers for new enrollments , the Secretary shall accept, to the maximum extent practicable, an offer from an owner or operator that is a resident of the county in which the land is located or of a contiguous county if, as determined by the Secretary, the land would provide at least equivalent conservation benefits to land under competing offers. ’ ’. (b) A NN U AL SUR V E Y OF D RYLAN D AND IRR IG A T ED CA SHR ENTAL RATES.— ( 1 ) ANNUAL ESTI M ATES RE Q UIRED.—Section 1 234 (c) of the F ood Security Act of 1 985 (1 6 U.S.C. 3834(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph

‘‘(5) RENTAL RATES.— ‘‘(A) ANNUAL ESTIMATES.— T he Secretary (acting through the N ational Agricultural Statistics Service) shall conduct an annual survey of per acre estimates of county average mar k et dryland and irrigated cash rental rates for cropland and pastureland in all counties or equivalent subdivisions within each State that have 2 0 ,000 acres or more of cropland and pastureland. ‘‘( B ) P U B LIC AVAILABILITY OF ESTIMATES.—The esti- mates derived from the annual survey conducted under subparagraph (A) shall be maintained on a website of the Department of Agriculture for use by the general public.’’. (2) FIRST SURVEY.—The first survey required by paragraph (5) of section 1234(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(c)), as added by subsection (a), shall be conducted not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act. (c) PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.—Section 1234(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(f)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘made to a person’’ and inserting ‘‘received by a person or legal entity, directly or indirectly,’’ (2) by striking paragraph (2); and (3) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘any person’’ and inserting ‘‘any person or legal entity’’. SEC.21 11. C ON SE RVATI ON RESERVE P RO G RA M TRANSITION INCEN - TIVES F OR B EGINNING FARMERS OR RANC H ERS AN D SOCIA L L Y DISADVANTAGED FARMERS OR RANCHERS. (a) CONTRACT M ODIFICATION AUTHORITY.—Section 1235(c)(1)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3835(c)(1)(B)) is amended— (1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following new clause: ‘‘(iii) to facilitate a transition of land sub j ect to the contract from a retired or retiring owner or oper- ator to a beginning farmer or rancher or socially dis- advantaged farmer or rancher for the purpose of returning some or all of the land into production using sustainable gra z ing or crop production methods; or’’. Deadlin e .16USC38 3 4 n ot e. W e bs ite.

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