It is the purpose of this section to authorize the Secretary to provide a coordinated technical, educational, and related assistance program to conserve and enhance private grazing land resources and provide related benefits to all citizens of the United States by—
(1) establishing a coordinated and cooperative Federal, State, and local grazing conservation program for management of private grazing land;
(2) strengthening technical, educational, and related assistance programs that provide assistance to owners and managers of private grazing land;
(3) conserving and improving wildlife habitat on private grazing land;
(4) conserving and improving fish habitat and aquatic systems through grazing land conservation treatment;
(5) protecting and improving water quality;
(6) improving the dependability and consistency of water supplies;
(7) identifying and managing weed, noxious weed, and brush encroachment problems on private grazing land; and
(8) integrating conservation planning and management decisions by owners and managers of private grazing land, on a voluntary basis.
In this section:
The term "Department" means the Department of Agriculture.
The term "private grazing land" means private, State-owned, tribally-owned, and any other non-federally owned rangeland, pastureland, grazed forest land, and hay land.
The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture.
Subject to the availability of appropriations for this section, the Secretary shall establish a voluntary program to provide technical, educational, and related assistance to owners and managers of private grazing land and public agencies, through local conservation districts, to enable the landowners, managers, and public agencies to voluntarily carry out activities that are consistent with this section, including—
(A) maintaining and improving private grazing land and the multiple values and uses that depend on private grazing land;
(B) implementing grazing land management technologies;
(C) managing resources on private grazing land, including—
(i) planning, managing, and treating private grazing land resources;
(ii) ensuring the long-term sustainability of private grazing land resources;
(iii) harvesting, processing, and marketing private grazing land resources; and
(iv) identifying and managing weed, noxious weed, and brush encroachment problems;
(D) protecting and improving the quality and quantity of water yields from private grazing land;
(E) maintaining and improving wildlife and fish habitat on private grazing land;
(F) enhancing recreational opportunities on private grazing land;
(G) maintaining and improving the aesthetic character of private grazing land;
(H) identifying the opportunities and encouraging the diversification of private grazing land enterprises; and
(I) encouraging the use of sustainable grazing systems, such as year-round, rotational, or managed grazing.
If funding is provided to carry out this section, it shall be provided through a specific line-item in the annual appropriations for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Personnel of the Department trained in pasture and range management shall be made available under the program to deliver and coordinate technical assistance and education to owners and managers of private grazing land, at the request of the owners and managers.
Congress finds that—
(A) there is a severe lack of technical assistance for farmers and ranchers that graze livestock;
(B) Federal budgetary constraints preclude any significant expansion, and may force a reduction of, current levels of technical support; and
(C) farmers and ranchers have a history of cooperatively working together to address common needs in the promotion of their products and in the drainage of wet areas through drainage districts.
In accordance with paragraph (3), the Secretary may establish 2 grazing management demonstration districts at the recommendation of the grazing land conservation initiative steering committee.
Within a reasonable time after the submission of a request of an organization of farmers or ranchers engaged in grazing, the Secretary shall propose that a grazing management district be established.
The terms and conditions of the funding and operation of the grazing management district shall be proposed by the producers.
The Secretary shall approve the proposal if the Secretary determines that the proposal—
(i) is reasonable;
(ii) will promote sound grazing practices; and
(iii) contains provisions similar to the provisions contained in the beef promotion and research order issued under section 2903 of title 7 in effect on April 4, 1996.
The area proposed to be included in a grazing management district shall be determined by the Secretary on the basis of an application by farmers or ranchers.
The Secretary may use authority under the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to operate, on a demonstration basis, a grazing management district.
The activities of a grazing management district shall be scientifically sound activities, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with a technical advisory committee composed of ranchers, farmers, and technical experts.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2012.
(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, §1240M, as added Pub. L. 104–127, title III, §335, Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1002; amended Pub. L. 107–171, title II, §2502(a), May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 264; Pub. L. 110–234, title II, §2601, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1068; Pub. L. 110–246, §4(a), title II, §2601, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1796.)
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Last modified: October 26, 2015