HF 1586

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to natural resources; allowing certain land 
  1.3             to be enrolled in more than one state or federal 
  1.4             conservation program; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             1998, section 103F.515, subdivision 2. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 103F.515, 
  1.8   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBLE LAND.] (a) Land may be placed in the 
  1.10  conservation reserve program if the land meets the requirements 
  1.11  of paragraphs (b) and (c).  
  1.12     (b) Land is eligible if the land: 
  1.13     (1) is marginal agricultural land; 
  1.14     (2) is adjacent to marginal agricultural land and is either 
  1.15  beneficial to resource protection or necessary for efficient 
  1.16  recording of the land description; 
  1.17     (3) consists of a drained wetland; 
  1.18     (4) is land that with a windbreak would be beneficial to 
  1.19  resource protection; 
  1.20     (5) is land in a sensitive groundwater area; 
  1.21     (6) is riparian land; 
  1.22     (7) is cropland or noncropland adjacent to restored 
  1.23  wetlands to the extent of up to four acres of cropland or one 
  1.24  acre of noncropland for each acre of wetland restored; 
  1.25     (8) is a woodlot on agricultural land; 
  2.1      (9) is abandoned building site on agricultural land, 
  2.2   provided that funds are not used for compensation of the value 
  2.3   of the buildings; or 
  2.4      (10) is land on a hillside used for pasture.  
  2.5      (c) Eligible land under paragraph (a) must: 
  2.6      (1) be owned by the landowner, or a parent or other blood 
  2.7   relative of the landowner, for at least one year before the date 
  2.8   of application; 
  2.9      (2) be at least five acres in size, except for a drained 
  2.10  wetland area, riparian area, windbreak, woodlot, or abandoned 
  2.11  building site, or be a whole field as defined by the United 
  2.12  States Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services; 
  2.13     (3) not be set aside, enrolled or diverted under another 
  2.14  federal or state government program unless enrollment in the 
  2.15  conservation reserve program would provide additional 
  2.16  conservation benefits or a longer term of enrollment than under 
  2.17  the current federal or state program; and 
  2.18     (4) have been in agricultural crop production for at least 
  2.19  two of the last five years before the date of application except 
  2.20  drained wetlands, riparian lands, woodlots, abandoned building 
  2.21  sites, or land on a hillside used for pasture. 
  2.22     (d) In selecting drained wetlands for enrollment in the 
  2.23  program, the highest priority must be given to wetlands with a 
  2.24  cropping history during the period 1976 to 1985. 
  2.25     (e) In selecting land for enrollment in the program, 
  2.26  highest priority must be given to permanent easements that are 
  2.27  consistent with the purposes stated in section 103F.505.