WAIS Document RetrievalFrom the Privacy Act Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:agri_003-24]                         

USDA/NRCS--1

System name: 

       Landowner, Operator, Producer, Cooperator, or Participant Files--
   Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
     System location: 
       Program landowner, operator, producer, cooperator, or participant 
   files are maintained in all NRCS county field delivery locations, 
   mostly USDA Field Service Centers in the county seat. Addresses of 
   each field office are listed in the local telephone directories of 
   the field office locations under the heading, ``United States 
   Government, Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation 
   Service.'' Addresses may also be obtained at http://
   www.nrcs.usda.gov. Program landowner, operator, producer, cooperator, 
   or participant files are also maintained in USDA data centers at Fort 
   Collins, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, and 
   other authorized secure data centers.
     Categories of individuals covered by the system: 
       Landowners, operators, producers, cooperators, or participants 
   with NRCS programs.
     Categories of records in the system: 
       The system consists of electronic databases and file folders 
   containing information on an individual's conservation plans, cost-
   share agreements, conservation practice designs, hardcopy and 
   electronic resource and planning maps, resource inventory data, 
   assistance notes, personal and economic data, and other material 
   necessary to provide assistance to the landowner, operator, producer, 
   cooperator, or participant in conserving natural resources on their 
   land they manage.
     Authority for maintenance of the system: 
       16 U.S.C. 590 a-f, q, q-1 and other applicable authorities.
     Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including 
   categories of users and the purposes of such uses: 
       (1) Records may be disclosed to cooperating Federal, State, and 
   local agencies, as necessary for implementation of conservation 
   programs.
       (2) Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the 
   record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the 
   congressional office made at the request of that individual.
       (3) Disclosure to Federal, State, and local agencies, when 
   necessary to certify that a conservation plan is in effect for land 
   users to qualify for other USDA program benefits.
       (4) Referral to the Department of Justice with (a) the Agency, or 
   any component thereof; or (b) any employee of the Agency in his/her 
   official capacity; or (c) any employee of the Agency in his/her 
   individual capacity where the Department of Justice has agreed to 
   represent the employee; or (d) the United States, where the Agency 
   determines that litigation is likely to affect the Agency or any of 
   its components, is a part to litigation or has an interest in such 
   litigation, and the use of such records by the Department of Justice 
   is deemed by the Agency to be relevant and necessary to the 
   litigation, provided, however, that in each case, the Agency 
   determines that disclosure of the records to the Department of 
   Justice is a use of the information contained in the records that is 
   compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.
       (5) Disclosure in a proceeding before a court or adjudicative 
   body before which the Agency is authorized to appear, when (a) the 
   Agency, or any component thereof; or (b) any employee of the Agency 
   in his/her official capacity; or (c) any employee of the Agency in 
   his/her individual capacity where the Agency has agreed to represent 
   the employee; or (d) the United States, where the Agency determines 
   that litigation is likely to affect the Agency or any of its 
   components, is a part to litigation or has an interest in such 
   litigation, and the Agency determines that use of such records if 
   relevant and necessary to the litigation, provided, however, that in 
   each case, the Agency determines that disclosure of the records to 
   the court is a use of the information contained in the records that 
   is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.
       (6) Referral to the appropriate agency, whether Federal, State, 
   local, or foreign, charged with the responsibility of investigating 
   or prosecuting a violation of law, or of enforcing or implementing 
   the statute, rule, regulation, or order issued pursuant thereto, of 
   any record within this system when information available indicates a 
   violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or 
   regulatory in nature, and whether arising by general statute or 
   particular program statute, or by rule, regulation, or order issued 
   pursuant thereto.
       (7) Disclosure may be made to contractors or to technical service 
   providers as necessary to provide NRCS technical services to 
   landowners, operators, producers, cooperators, and participants and 
   such disclosure shall be made subject to the purposes for which the 
   contractor or technical service provider is hired.
     Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, 
   retaining, and disposing of records in the system:  
     Storage: 
       Records are maintained in an electronic retrieval system and in 
   file folders in county field delivery offices.
     Retrievability: 
       Records are retrieved by name of landowner, operator, producer, 
   cooperator, or participant, or location on a map, unit identification 
   number, location code, farm type, soil resources survey area, soil 
   resources conservation district code, resource management systems and 
   practices, and program contract information.
     Safeguards: 
       System access is restricted to authorized Natural Resources 
   Conservation Service employees and conservation district employees 
   and technical service providers working to assist with the 
   implementation of natural resources programs. NRCS field employees 
   are authorized to access system records of landowners, operators, 
   producers, cooperator, or participants in their service area or 
   outside of their service area if the landowner, operator, producer, 
   cooperator, or participant has authorized access. Conservation 
   district employees are authorized to access system records of their 
   district landowners, operators, producers, cooperators, or 
   participants only in their official capacity as district employees.
       The electronic data retrieval system is secured by the USDA 
   Common Computing Environment user authentication process and USDA 
   eAuthentication login and password protection. Hardcopy files are 
   maintained in file cabinets, which should be locked when not in use. 
   Offices are locked during non-business hours.
     Retention and disposal: 
       Records are maintained as long as the landowner, operator, 
   producer, cooperator, or participant qualifies for conservation 
   programs.
     System manager(s) and address: 
       District conservationists or their designees are in charge of 
   delivering services in county offices. Addresses of each field office 
   are listed in the telephone directories of the field office locations 
   under ``United States Government, Department of Agriculture, Natural 
   Resources Conservation Service.'' Addresses may also be obtained at 
   http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.
     Notification procedure: 
       Any individual may request information regarding this system of 
   records, or information as to whether the system contains records 
   pertaining to him/her by contacting the respective district 
   conservationist or other designee. If the specific location of the 
   record is not known, the individual should address his/her request to 
   the Director, Management Services Division, USDA-Natural Resources 
   Conservation Service, P. O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013, who will 
   refer it to the appropriate field office. A request for information 
   pertaining to an individual should contain: Name, address, and other 
   relevant information (e.g., name or nature of program, name of 
   cooperating body, etc.).
     Record access procedures: 
       Any individual may obtain information as to the procedures for 
   gaining access to a record in the system which pertains to him/her by 
   submitting a written request to the district conservationist or his/
   her designated representative or to the Director, Management Services 
   Division, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, P.O. Box 2890, 
   Washington, DC 20013.
     Contesting record procedures: 
       Any individual may obtain information as to the procedures for 
   contesting a record in the system which pertains to him/her by 
   submitting a written request to the district conservationist or his/
   her designated representative or to the Director, Management Services 
   Division, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, P.O. Box 2890, 
   Washington, DC 20013.
     Record source categories: 
       Information in this system comes from landowners, operators, 
   producers, cooperators, or participants and NRCS field 
   conservationists who provide technical and program assistance to 
   them.