SF 3101

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

  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 must have been 
  2.5   in a county under presidential disaster declaration in either 
  2.6   1998 or 1999. 
  2.7      (c) Eligible land may be set aside for payment under 
  2.8   section 4 for a period of three years. 
  2.9      Sec. 4.  [PAYMENTS.] 
  2.10     Annual payments for eligible land under section 3 that is 
  2.11  set aside by the board must be based on the soil rental rates 
  2.12  established under the federal conservation reserve program 
  2.13  contained in Public Law Number 99-198.  An additional annual 
  2.14  payment of $5 per acre may be paid for acreage maintenance. 
  2.15     Sec. 5.  [ADMINISTRATION.] 
  2.16     The land payment program in sections 3 and 4 must be 
  2.17  administered by soil and water conservation districts under 
  2.18  guidelines and grants by the board. 
  2.19     Sec. 6.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.20     $10,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.21  board of water and soil resources for fiscal year 2001 for the 
  2.22  purposes of sections 1 to 5.  Administrative costs may not 
  2.23  exceed ten percent of the appropriation.  
  2.24     Sec. 7.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.25     This act is effective June 30, 2000.