Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 71.djvu/62

 PUBLIC LAW 85-25-APR. 25, 1957

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ST A T.

Public Law 8S25 April 25, 1957 IH. R. 2367]

Agriculture. Grazing program.

64 Stat. 1109. 42 USC 18551855g.

Payments.

Conditions.

Appropriation. 42 USC 1855g.

1855-

AN ACT To establish a deferred grazing program as part of the relief available to brought stricken areas under Pnblic Law 875, Eighty-first Congress, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, in connection with any major disaster due to drought determined by the President to warrant assistance by the Federal Government under Public Law 875, Eighty-first Congress, as amended, the President is authorized and directed as part of the assistance provided pursuant to such Act to formulate and carry out, through the facilities of the Department of Agriculture, a deferred grazing program, which shall include nonuse or limited use, or any needed combination thereof, in any county affected by such disaster in which the Secretary of Agriculture determines grazing of native rangeland is a substantial factor in agricultural production, and finds that limited or deferred grazing is necessary and appropriate for the restablishment or conservation of grass for grazing. Such program shall be applicable only to nonfederally owned land which is normally used for grazing. Within thirty days (1) after the date of enactment of this Act, or (2) after any subsequent designation of any such area as a disaster area by the President, the Secretary shall designate the counties in any such area in which this program shall be available, and the program shall remain available in each such county for a period of not more than five years after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 2. The program shall provide for payment for deferred grazing to farmers ana ranchers at rates equal to the fair rental value of the land for the grazing use withheld under the program, as determined by the Secretary on the basis of the normal grazing capacity of the land during periods of adequate precipitation. No payment shall be made under the program if it is determined that a shift of livestock from the deferred areas to other land results in overgrazing nondeferred areas. Payment to any person for deferred grazing on land in any one county or land in more than one county operated as a single unit shall not exceed $5,000 for any one year. SEC. 3. The program authorized herein may include such terms and conditions, in addition to those specifically provided for herein, as are determined desirable to effectuate its purposes and to facilitate practical administration. The program authorized herein for any county shall be supplemental to the agricultural conservation program, and not in substitution of, other programs in such county authorized by any other law, except that no payment shall be made concurrently on the same land for deferred grazing under this and any other program. SEC. 4. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, in addition to other funds authorized to be appropriated for the purposes oJ| Public Law 875, Eighty-first Congress, such funds as are necessary to carry out the program authorized herein. Approved April 25, 1957.

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