161A.42 - SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES. - Iowa Statutes

161A.42 SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES. In addition to the definitions established by section 161A.3, as used in this division, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Agricultural land" has the meaning assigned that term by section 9H.1. 2. "Conservation agreement" means a commitment by the owner or operator of a farm unit to implement a farm unit soil conservation plan or, with the approval of the commissioners of the soil and water conservation district within which the farm unit is located, a portion of a farm unit soil conservation plan. The commitment shall be conditioned on the furnishing by the soil and water conservation district of technical or planning assistance in the establishment of, and cost sharing or other financial assistance for establishment and maintenance of the soil and water conservation practices necessary to implement the plan, or a portion of the plan. 3. "Conservation folder" means compiled information concerning the topography, soil composition, natural or artificial drainage characteristics, and other pertinent factors concerning a particular farm unit, which is necessary to the preparation of a sound and equitable conservation agreement for that farm unit. The specific items to be contained in a conservation folder shall be prescribed by administrative rules of the department. The department shall provide by rule that an updated farm plan prepared for a particular farm unit within ten years prior to the effective date of this subsection shall be considered an adequate replacement for the conservation folder for that farm unit. 4. "Cost-share" or "cost-sharing" means a contribution of money made by the state in order to pay a percentage of the costs related to the establishment of voluntary or mandatory practices as provided under this chapter, including but not limited to soil and water conservation practices and erosion control practices. 5. "Erosion control practices" means: a. The construction or installation, and maintenance, of such structures or devices as are necessary to carry to a suitable outlet from the site of any building housing four or more residential units, any commercial or industrial development or any publicly or privately owned recreational or service facility of any kind, not served by a central storm sewer system, any water which: (1) Would otherwise cause erosion in excess of the applicable soil loss limit; and (2) Does not carry nor constitute sewage, industrial waste, or other waste as defined by section 455B.171. b. The employment of temporary devices or structures, temporary seeding, fibre mats, plastic, straw, or other measures adequate to prevent erosion in excess of the applicable soil loss limits from the site of, or land directly affected by, the construction of any public or private street, road or highway, any residential, commercial, or industrial building or development, or any publicly or privately owned recreational or service facility of any kind, at all times prior to completion of such construction. c. The establishment and maintenance of vegetation upon the right-of-way of any completed portion of any public street, road, or highway, or the construction or installation thereon of structures or devices, or other measures adequate to prevent erosion from the right-of-way in excess of the applicable soil loss limits. 6. "Farm unit" means a single contiguous tract of agricultural land, or two or more adjacent tracts of agricultural land, located within a single soil and water conservation district, upon which farming operations are being conducted by a person who owns or is purchasing or renting all of the land, or by that person's tenant or tenants. If a landowner has multiple farm tenants, the land on which farming operations are being conducted by each tenant is a separate farm unit. This definition does not prohibit land which is within a single soil and water conservation district and is owned or being purchased by the same person, or is being rented by the same tenant, from being treated as two or more farm units if the commissioners of the soil and water conservation district deem it preferable to do so. 7. "Farm unit soil conservation plan" means a plan jointly developed by the owner and, if appropriate, the operator of a farm unit and the commissioners of the soil and water conservation district within which that farm unit is located, based on the conservation folder for that farm unit and identifying those permanent soil and water conservation practices and temporary soil and water conservation practices the use of which may be expected to prevent soil loss by erosion from that farm unit in excess of the applicable soil loss limit or limits. The plan shall if practicable identify alternative practices by which this objective may be attained. 8. "Forest" means stands of native or introduced trees containing at least two hundred trees per acre and located on privately owned land. However, a stand of fruit trees is not a forest. 9. "Professional forester" means a forestry graduate of an institution of higher learning, who has a minimum of two years of forest management experience. 10. "Soil and water conservation practices" means any of the practices designated in or pursuant to this subsection which serve to prevent erosion of soil by wind or water, in excess of applicable soil loss limits, from land used for agricultural or horticultural purposes only. a. "Permanent soil and water conservation practices" means planting of perennial grasses, legumes, shrubs, or trees, the establishment of grassed waterways, and the construction of terraces, or other permanent soil and water practices approved by the committee. b. "Temporary soil and water conservation practices" means planting of annual or biennial crops, use of strip-cropping, contour planting, or minimum or mulch tillage, and any other cultural practices approved by the committee. 11. "Soil loss limit" means the maximum amount of soil loss due to erosion by water or wind, expressed in terms of tons per acre per year, which the commissioners of the respective soil and water conservation districts determine is acceptable in order to meet the objectives expressed in section 161A.2. 12. "State forester" means a person employed by the department of natural resources as required by section 456A.13.          Section History: Early Form [C73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 467A.42]          Section History: Recent Form 86 Acts, ch 1238, § 40; 86 Acts, ch 1245, § 655, 656; 87 Acts, ch 23, § 30; 88 Acts, ch 1134, § 88; 89 Acts, ch 106, § 4; 92 Acts, ch 1184, § 2, 3 C93, § 161A.42 94 Acts, ch 1107, §8 Referred to in § 161A.44, 161A.71, 175.2, 175.35, 175.36