USDA Defines ‘Highly Erodible Land’ In Sodbuster Provision
HARRISBURG - “Highly
erodible land” is a new U.S.
Department of Agriculture buzz
word. According to a USDA con
servationist, this term can have a
big impact on fanning operations
in Pennsylvania.
“The conservation provisions of
the 1985 Farm Bill require
protection of highly erodible land
against soil erosion to keep
eligibility for other USDA
programs,” declared Gene
Thompson, Food & Agriculture
Council (FAC) Chairman. Most
county farmers benefit from one or
more of the involved USDA
programs, such as crop subsidies,
farm loans, disaster payments and
crop insurance. Nationally 80
percent of the farmers will be
affected by this portion of the farm
bill.
The question of what is highly
credible land is on the mind of
many county farmers.
USDA defines highly erodible
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land as that with the potential to
erode excessively when cultivated
without adequate conservation
treatment. In further refining the
definition, land without cover or
conservation practices which
would erode eight or more times
faster than it is being formed
would be classes as highly
erodible.
Knee the definition includes the
“potential to erode,” large
acreages of pasture, woodland and
other farmland will also come
under the provisions if converted
to cropland. Nationally, 117 million
acres of cropland and 227 million
acres of noncropland have been
identified as highly erodible.
Erodibility of the land is
determined by a combination of
the Land Capability Classification
System and the Universal Soil Loss
Equation (USLE) as used by the
Soil Conservation Service. USLE is
a determination of the actual
erosion occurring on the land. Both
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methods use the soil units in the
county soil survey report as the
basis for determination.
Land Capability Classes I
through VI are increasingly
fragile. “All Class 111, IV and VI
soils are highly erodible”, reported
Robert Heidecker, Soil Con
servation Service. Class I soils are
not highly erodible. The
questionable soils are in Class 11.
Factors such as climate,
topography and soil properties
determine which Class II soils are
or are not highly erodible. SCS is
directed by the Farm Bill to
identify highly erodible soils where
they are intended for use as
cropland, and where the fanner
wishes to remain eligible for USDA
benefits.
SCS field offices are prepared to
help fanners determine whether
their fields have highly erodible
soils.
The amount of highly erodible
land determines if a farmer must
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apply soil conservation practices
to benefit from other USDA
programs. For a field to be con
sidered highly erodible, one-third
or more of the field must be highly
erodible or the area of highly
erodible soils must excede 50
acres.
Under the provision commonly
called sodbuster, all land not
planted to a commodity crop
during 1981-85 but plowed after
Dec. 23, 1965 would require ap
plication of needed soil con
servation practices within two
years of plowing to maintain USDA
program eligibility. Any of this
land plowed in 1968 or later must
have the needed practices applied
before plowing to remain eligible.
Commodity crops are annual tilled
crops.
Under the conservation com
pliance provision, any farmer who
has been planting an annual crop
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on highly credible land must have
a conservation plan and begin
application of practices by
January 1, 1990. Hie local con
servation district must approve
the conservation plan. The (dan
must be implemented by January
1, 1995 to maintain eligibility
Thompson cautioned that if far
mers become ineligible, he or she
loses USDA program benefits on
all the land farmed by that in
dividual, not just, on the highly
erodiblepart.
Farmers with questions about
highly credible land should contact
the USDA Soil Conservation
Service office for their county. SCS
will also assist with the develop
ment of conservation plans and
with the application of practices.
Cost sharing for practice ap
plication may be available from
the Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service.
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