Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 95.djvu/1371

 PUBLIC LAW 97-98—DEC. 22, 1981

95 STAT. 1345

owners and operators of cropland located in counties where the soil normally freezes to a depth of at least four inches annually who remove such land from agricultural production for a period not to exceed one year for the purpose of installing enduring conservation measures which involve excavation of the soil. The payments under such contracts shall be in such amounts as determined by the Secretary to be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this subtitle but shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of acres of cropland removed from agricultural production for such purpose multiplied by 50 per centum of the typical annual rent, as determined by the Secretary, paid for similar land in the county. Financial assistance may not be provided under this section with respect to any conservation measure without the approval of the soil and water conservation district board for the district in which the land is located, and may not, in the aggregate, be provided in any year with respect to more than one-half of 1 per centum of the cropland in any county. (b) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be Appropriation necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, such sums to authorization. remain available until expended. CONSERVATION TILLAGE

SEC. 1553. (a) Congressfindsthat— 16 USC 3472. (1) domestic and international demand for agricultural products from the United States is great and is expected to significantly increase over the next twenty years; (2) the ability of the United States to provide agricultural products to meet that demand is seriously impaired by the annual loss of five billion tons of soil due to wind and water erosion; (3) the battle against soil erosion is being lost despite the annual expenditure of millions of dollars by the Federal Government on research, technical assistance, and conservation incentives to control soil erosion; (4) conservation tillage practices are estimated to reduce soil erosion by 50 to 90 per centum over conventional farming practices; and (5) conservation tillage may result in better jdelds, greater land useflexibility,decreased fuel use, decreased labor and equipment costs, increased retention of soil moisture, and more productive land than conventional farming practices and may be adaptable to a broad range of soil types and slopes throughout the country. (b) It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture should, and is hereby urged and requested to— (1) direct the attention of our Nation's farmers to the costs and benefits of conservation tillage as a means of controlling soil erosion and improving profitability; and (2) conduct a program of research designed to resolve any unanswered questions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of conservation tillage over other soil conservation practices. REGULATIONS

SEC. 1554. The Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe such regula- 16 USC 3473. tions as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this title.

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