1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; establishing an agricultural 
  1.3             land set aside and payment program; appropriating 
  1.4             money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [PURPOSE.] 
  1.7      The legislature finds that the frequency of disaster 
  1.8   declarations covering agricultural areas of the state has 
  1.9   increased.  In successive years, crop disease has resulted in 
  1.10  economic hardship and abnormal precipitation has prevented 
  1.11  planting or harvesting.  Because of these crop production 
  1.12  problems, the legislature finds that there is a need to 
  1.13  establish an agricultural land set aside program to provide 
  1.14  short term economic assistance to landowners. 
  1.15     Sec. 2.  [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.16     Subdivision 1.  [AGRICULTURAL LAND.] "Agricultural land" 
  1.17  means land that is: 
  1.18     (1) composed of class I, II, or III land as identified in 
  1.19  the land capability classification system of the United States 
  1.20  Department of Agriculture; or 
  1.21     (2) similar to land described under a land classification 
  1.22  system selected by the board of water and soil resources. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [BOARD.] "Board" means the board of water and 
  1.24  soil resources. 
  1.25     Sec. 3.  [ELIGIBILITY TERMS.] 
  2.1      (a) Agricultural land eligible for the board's program 
  2.2   under section 4 must not exceed 160 acres for individual 
  2.3   landowners. 
  2.4      (b) Agricultural land eligible for payment in a fiscal year 
  2.5   prior to 2002 must have been in a county under presidential 
  2.6   disaster declaration in either 1998 or 1999.  In fiscal years 
  2.7   2000 and thereafter, payment is available for eligible 
  2.8   agricultural land in any county under a presidential disaster 
  2.9   declaration related to agriculture.  
  2.10     (c) Eligible land may be set aside for payment under 
  2.11  section 4 for a period of three years. 
  2.12     Sec. 4.  [PAYMENTS.] 
  2.13     To the extent appropriated money is available for this 
  2.14  purpose, annual payments for eligible land under section 3 that 
  2.15  is set aside by the board must be based on the soil rental rates 
  2.16  established under the federal conservation reserve program 
  2.17  contained in Public Law Number 99-198.  An additional annual 
  2.18  payment of $5 per acre may be paid for acreage maintenance. 
  2.19     Sec. 5.  [ADMINISTRATION.] 
  2.20     The land payment program in sections 3 and 4 must be 
  2.21  administered by soil and water conservation districts under 
  2.22  guidelines and grants by the board. 
  2.23     Sec. 6.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.24     $10,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.25  board of water and soil resources for the purposes of sections 1 
  2.26  to 5.  This appropriation remains available until expended.  
  2.27  Administrative costs may not exceed ten percent of the 
  2.28  appropriation.  
  2.29     Sec. 7.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.30     This act is effective the day after final enactment.