II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2557 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve conservation programs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2018 

Mrs. ERNST (for herself, Mr. BROWN, Mr. GRASSLEY, and Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve 

conservation programs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Give Our Resources 

5 the Opportunity to Work Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM. 

7 (a) INELIGIBLE LAND.—Section 1231 of the Food 

8 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (i) 

10 as subsections (d) through (j), respectively; and 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2557 IS

1 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(c) INELIGIBLE LAND.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall not in5 clude in the conservation reserve program estab6 lished under this subchapter— 

7 ‘‘(A) except as provided in paragraphs (2) 

8 and (3)(B), prime farmland or class I, II, or III 

9 land (as defined in the Soil Survey Manual of 

10 the Department of Agriculture) (or successor 

11 definitions) that is— 

12 ‘‘(i) not highly erodible; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) eroding at a level that is less 

14 than the soil loss tolerance level of the 

15 land; or 

16 ‘‘(B) all of the land on a farm that is larg17 er than 10 acres. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXEMPTIONS.—In carrying out paragraph 

19 (1)(A), the Secretary shall exempt— 

20 ‘‘(A) land that is eligible under subsection 

21 (b)(3); and 

22 ‘‘(B) land that— 

23 ‘‘(i) is eligible under subsection (b)(4); 

24 and 

25 ‘‘(ii) is— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(I) a grass sod waterway; 

2 ‘‘(II) a contour grass sod strip; 

3 ‘‘(III) a prairie strip; 

4 ‘‘(IV) a filterstrip; 

5 ‘‘(V) a riparian buffer; 

6 ‘‘(VI) a wetland buffer; 

7 ‘‘(VII) a saturated buffer; 

8 ‘‘(VIII) a bioreactor; or 

9 ‘‘(IX) a similar partial field that 

10 will improve water quality if the land 

11 is enrolled in the conservation reserve 

12 program using continuous sign-up 

13 under section 1234(d)(2)(A)(ii), as 

14 determined by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(3) PORTION OF FIELD.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara17 graph (C), in the case of a field described in 

18 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall enroll 

19 only the land described in clause (ii) of that 

20 subparagraph. 

21 ‘‘(B) LAND DESCRIBED.—A field described 

22 in this subparagraph is a field that contains— 

23 ‘‘(i) land that is excluded under para24 graph (1)(A); and 

25 ‘‘(ii) land that is— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(I) not excluded under para2 graph (1)(A); and 

3 ‘‘(II) eligible under subsection 

4 (b). 

5 ‘‘(C) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a field 

6 described in subparagraph (B) more than 90 

7 percent of the land of which is land described 

8 in clause (ii) of that subparagraph, the Sec9 retary may enroll all of the land of the field.’’. 

10 (b) ENROLLMENT.—Subsection (e) of section 1231 of 

11 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) (as re12 designated by subsection (a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘during—’’ in 

14 the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and all that 

15 follows through the period at the end of subpara16 graph (E) and inserting ‘‘not more than 24,000,000 

17 acres.’’; 

18 (2) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘limitations’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘limitation’’; 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘2,000,000’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘3,000,000’’; and 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘2023’’; and 

25 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(3) ENROLLMENT OF CONSERVATION BUFF2 ERS TO FOSTER CLEAN LAKES, ESTUARIES, AND

3 RIVERS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of ap5 plying the limitation in paragraph (1), the Sec6 retary shall give priority to the enrollment in 

7 the conservation reserve program under this 

8 subchapter of land that— 

9 ‘‘(i) is described in subsection 

10 (c)(2)(B)(ii); and 

11 ‘‘(ii) shall have a positive impact, as 

12 determined by the Secretary, on the water 

13 quality of— 

14 ‘‘(I) a lake; 

15 ‘‘(II) an estuary; or 

16 ‘‘(III) a river. 

17 ‘‘(B) SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT LOAD18 INGS.—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the 

19 Secretary shall focus on land that— 

20 ‘‘(i) is located in a watershed im21 pacted by sediment and nutrient; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) if enrolled, will reduce sediment 

23 loadings, nutrient loadings, and harmful 

24 algal blooms, as determined by the Sec25 retary. 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(C) MINIMUM ACREAGE.—Of the acres 

2 enrolled in the conservation reserve under para3 graph (1), not less than 4,000,000 acres shall 

4 be— 

5 ‘‘(i) of land described in subparagraph 

6 (A); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) newly enrolled during fiscal years 

8 2019 through 2028.’’. 

9 (c) PAYMENT RATES.—Section 1234 of the Food Se10 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (c)— 

12 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

13 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, 

14 and indenting appropriately; and 

15 (B) by inserting before subparagraph (A) 

16 (as so redesignated) the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) SIGNING AND PRACTICE INCENTIVE PAY18 MENTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a con20 tinuous enrollment contract, the Secretary may 

21 make a signing incentive payment or a practice 

22 incentive payment to an owner or operator of 

23 eligible land in an amount sufficient to encour24 age participation in the program established 

25 under this subchapter. 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON MAKING PAY2 MENTS.—The Secretary may only make a pay3 ment described in subparagraph (A) if the na4 tional average market price received by pro5 ducers during the previous 12-month marketing 

6 year for all covered commodities is greater than 

7 the national average market price received by 

8 producers during the most recent 10 marketing 

9 years for all covered commodities. 

10 ‘‘(2) TREE THINNING AND OTHER PRAC11 TICES.—’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (d)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(D) PRIORITY FOR LOW COST OFFERS.— 

16 In determining the acceptability of contract of17 fers for new general enrollments, the Secretary 

18 shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) give priority to a contract offer 

20 that maximizes the conservation value of 

21 the land that is the subject of the contract 

22 offer relative to the cost of the contract; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(ii) assign the cost value factor de25 scribed in clause (i) a weight of not less 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 2557 IS

1 than 25 percent in any ranking scheme 

2 used by the Secretary in determining the 

3 acceptability of contract offers.’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (5)— 

5 (i) in subparagraph (C)— 

6 (I) by striking ‘‘The Secretary 

7 may use’’ and inserting ‘‘With respect 

8 to’’; and 

9 (II) by striking ‘‘rental rates’’ 

10 and inserting the following: ‘‘rental 

11 rates, the Secretary— 

12 ‘‘(i) shall apply the limitation de13 scribed in subsection (g)(1)(A); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) may use the estimates’’; and 

15 (ii) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(D) LIMITATION.—Subject to subsection 

18 (g), the amount of an annual rental payment 

19 paid to an owner or operator under this sub20 chapter, in the case of general enrollment, shall 

21 not be greater than 80 percent of the applicable 

22 estimate of the county average market dryland 

23 cash rental rates for cropland derived from the 

24 survey conducted under subparagraph (A).’’; 

25 and 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 2557 IS

1 (3) in subsection (g)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘exceed 

3 $50,000’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘ex4 ceed— 

5 ‘‘(A) $50,000; and 

6 ‘‘(B) $240 per acre.’’; and 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘this 

8 subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’. 

9 SEC. 3. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1238D of the Food Secu11 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838d) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

13 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

14 end; 

15 (B) in clause (ii), by striking the period at 

16 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(iii) development of a comprehensive 

19 conservation plan, as defined in section 

20 1238G(f)(1).’’; and 

21 (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at 

22 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘through the 

23 use of— 

24 ‘‘(A) quality criteria under a resource man25 agement system; 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(B) predictive analytics tools; 

2 ‘‘(C) data from past and current enroll3 ment in the program; and 

4 ‘‘(D) other methods that measure con5 servation and improvement in priority resource 

6 concerns.’’. 

7 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 1238E(a) of the 

8 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838e(a)) is 

9 amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by strik10 ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 

11 (c) STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS.—Section 1238F of 

12 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838f) is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (1) 

15 and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) RANKING OF APPLICATIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In evaluating contract 

18 offers submitted under subsection (a), the Sec19 retary shall rank applications based on— 

20 ‘‘(i) the natural resource conservation 

21 and environmental benefits that result 

22 from the conservation treatment on all ap23 plicable priority resource concerns at the 

24 time of submission of the application; and 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) the degree to which the proposed 

2 conservation activities increase natural re3 source conservation and environmental 

4 benefits. 

5 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL CRITERION.—If 2 or 

6 more applications receive the same ranking 

7 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 

8 rank those contracts based on the extent to 

9 which the actual and anticipated conservation 

10 benefits from each contract are provided at the 

11 lowest cost relative to other similarly beneficial 

12 contract offers.’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (e)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) by inserting ‘‘new or improved’’ 

16 after ‘‘integrate’’; and 

17 (ii) by inserting ‘‘demonstrating con18 tinuous improvement during the additional 

19 5-year period,’’ after ‘‘operation,’’; and 

20 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘to meet’’ and in23 serting ‘‘to plan, install, maintain, 

24 and actively manage conservation acVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Mar 24, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2557.IS S2557

lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 2557 IS

1 tivities that allow the producer to 

2 meet or exceed’’; and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘on the agricul4 tural operation’’; and 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

6 ‘‘to exceed the stewardship threshold of’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘to adopt or improve con8 servation activities, as determined by the 

9 Secretary, to achieve higher levels of per10 formance with respect to not less than’’. 

11 (d) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—Section 1238G of 

12 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838g) is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘all finan15 cial’’ and all that follows through the period at the 

16 end and inserting the following: ‘‘all— 

17 ‘‘(A) financial assistance, including pay18 ments made under subsections (d)(2)(B), (e), 

19 and (f); 

20 ‘‘(B) technical assistance; and 

21 ‘‘(C) any other expenses associated with 

22 enrollment or participation in the program.’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(5) PAYMENT FOR COVER CROP ACTIVITIES.— 

2 The amount of a payment under this subsection for 

3 cover crop activities shall be not less than 125 per4 cent of the annual payment amount determined by 

5 the Secretary under paragraph (2).’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (e)— 

7 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

8 ‘‘AND MANAGEMENT-INTENSIVE ROTATION

9 GRAZING’’ after ‘‘ROTATIONS’’; 

10 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

11 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

12 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (1), respectively; 

13 (D) by moving paragraph (1) (as so redes14 ignated) so as to appear before paragraph (2) 

15 (as so redesignated); 

16 (E) in paragraph (1) (as so redesig17 nated)— 

18 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

19 (A) through (D) and (E) as clauses (i) 

20 through (iv) and (vi), respectively, and in21 denting appropriately; 

22 (ii) by striking the paragraph designa23 tion and all that follows through ‘‘the 

24 term’’ in the matter preceding clause (i) 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 2557 IS

1 (as so redesignated) and inserting the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

4 ‘‘(A) MANAGEMENT-INTENSIVE ROTA5 TIONAL GRAZING.—The term ‘management-in6 tensive rotational grazing’ means a grazing sys7 tem in which animals are regularly and system8 atically moved to fresh pasture in a manner 

9 that— 

10 ‘‘(i) maximizes the quantity and qual11 ity of forage growth; 

12 ‘‘(ii) improves manure distribution 

13 and nutrient cycling; 

14 ‘‘(iii) increases carbon sequestration 

15 from greater forage harvest; 

16 ‘‘(iv) improves the quality and quan17 tity of cover for wildlife; 

18 ‘‘(v) provides permanent cover to pro19 tect the soil from erosion; and 

20 ‘‘(vi) improves water quality. 

21 ‘‘(B) RESOURCE-CONSERVING CROP ROTA22 TION.—The term’’; and 

23 (iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so des24 ignated)— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 2557 IS

1 (I) in clause (iv) (as so redesig2 nated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 and 

4 (II) by inserting after clause (iv) 

5 (as so redesignated) the following: 

6 ‘‘(v) builds soil carbon; and’’; 

7 (F) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), 

8 by striking ‘‘improve resource-conserving’’ and 

9 all that follows through the period at the end 

10 and inserting the following: ‘‘improve, manage, 

11 and maintain— 

12 ‘‘(A) resource-conserving crop rotations; or 

13 ‘‘(B) management-intensive rotational 

14 grazing.’’; 

15 (G) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (i) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘and maintain’’ and 

19 all that follows through the period at the 

20 end and inserting ‘‘or improve, manage, 

21 and maintain resource-conserving crop ro22 tations or management-intensive rotational 

23 grazing for the term of the contract.’’; and 

24 (H) by adding at the end the following: 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 2557 IS

1 ‘‘(4) MINIMUM AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—An ad2 ditional payment provided under paragraph (2) shall 

3 be in an amount that is not less than $20 per 

4 acre.’’; 

5 (4) by redesignating subsections (f) through (i) 

6 as subsections (g) through (j), respectively; 

7 (5) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(f) PAYMENT FOR COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION

10 PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF COMPREHENSIVE CON12 SERVATION PLAN.—In this subsection, the term 

13 ‘comprehensive conservation plan’ means a conserva14 tion plan that meets or exceeds the stewardship 

15 threshold for each priority resource concern identi16 fied by the Secretary under subsection (a)(2). 

17 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT FOR COMPREHENSIVE CON18 SERVATION PLAN.—The Secretary shall provide an 

19 additional annual payment to a producer that devel20 ops and implements a comprehensive conservation 

21 plan. 

22 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An additional annual 

24 payment under paragraph (2) shall be in an 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 2557 IS

1 amount not less than $1,000 and not greater 

2 than $3,000 per year. 

3 ‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall de4 termine the amount of payment under subpara5 graph (A) based on— 

6 ‘‘(i) the number of priority resource 

7 concerns addressed in the comprehensive 

8 conservation plan; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) the number of types of land uses 

10 included in the comprehensive conservation 

11 plan.’’; and 

12 (6) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated), by 

13 striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

14 (g)’’. 

15 SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM. 

16 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 1240(4) of the Food Secu17 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa(4)) is amended by 

18 striking ‘‘livestock, pest or irrigation management’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘crops and livestock, pest management, irriga20 tion management’’. 

21 (b) ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1240B of the Food 

23 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2) is 

24 amended— 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 2557 IS

1 (A) by redesignating subsections (c) 

2 through (i) as subsections (d) through (j), re3 spectively; 

4 (B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall 

7 coordinate management of the program and the conserva8 tion stewardship program under subchapter B of chapter 

9 2 to facilitate the ability of a participant in the program 

10 to enroll in the conservation stewardship program after 

11 meeting the stewardship threshold for not less than 2 pri12 ority resource concerns.’’; and 

13 (C) in paragraph (4)(B) of subsection (e) 

14 (as so redesignated)— 

15 (i) in clause (i)— 

16 (I) by striking ‘‘Not more than’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall 

18 provide not less than’’; 

19 (II) by striking ‘‘may be pro20 vided’’; and 

21 (III) by striking ‘‘the purpose of’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘all costs relating to’’; 

23 and 

24 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘90-day’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘180-day’’. 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 2557 IS

1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

2 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3839aa–2) is amended— 

4 (A) in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) (as 

5 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘subsection (g)’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘subsection (h)’’; and 

7 (B) in paragraph (2) of subsection (h) (as 

8 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘subsection (g)’’. 

10 SEC. 5. FUNDING AND ADMINISTRATION. 

11 (a) COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION.—Section 

12 1241 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

16 by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘prac19 ticable—’’ in the matter preceding subpara20 graph (A) and all that follows through the pe21 riod at the end of subparagraph (E) and insert22 ing ‘‘practicable, $1,750,000,000 for each of 

23 fiscal years 2019 through 2023, of which not 

24 less than $500,000,000 for each fiscal year 

25 shall be for management activities that assist 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 2557 IS

1 producers that protect sources of drinking 

2 water.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

4 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 

5 through 2023’’; and 

6 (3) in subsection (h)(1)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

8 (A), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’; 

9 and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘5 percent’’ each place it 

11 appears and inserting ‘‘15 percent’’. 

12 (b) ACREAGE LIMITATIONS.—Section 1244(f)(1) of 

13 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(f)(1)) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

16 (A) in the subparagraph heading, by in17 serting ‘‘CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM’’ 

18 before ‘‘ENROLLMENTS’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘15’’; 

20 and 

21 (C) by striking ‘‘and wetland reserve ease22 ments under section 1265C’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

23 except that any land included in that program 

24 in a county greater than 15 percent of the crop25 land of which is included in that program on 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 2557 IS

1 the day before the date of enactment of the 

2 Give Our Resources the Opportunity to Work 

3 Act of 2018 may continue to be so included 

4 until the date on which the contract covering 

5 the land expires.’’; and 

6 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘10’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘15’’. 

8 SEC. 6. REPORT ON LAND ACCESS, TENURE, AND TRANSI9 TION. 

10 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation 

12 with the Chief Economist, shall submit to Congress and 

13 make publicly available a report identifying— 

14 (1) the barriers that prevent or hinder the abil15 ity of beginning farmers and ranchers and histori16 cally underserved producers to acquire or access 

17 farmland; 

18 (2) the extent to which Federal programs, in19 cluding agricultural conservation easement pro20 grams, land transition programs, and financing pro21 grams, are improving— 

22 (A) farmland access and tenure for begin23 ning farmers and ranchers and historically un24 derserved producers; and 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 2557 IS

1 (B) farmland transition and succession; 

2 and 

3 (3) the regulatory, operational, or statutory 

4 changes that are necessary to improve— 

5 (A) the ability of beginning farmers and 

6 ranchers and historically underserved producers 

7 to acquire or access farmland; 

8 (B) farmland tenure for beginning farmers 

9 and ranchers and historically underserved pro10 ducers; and 

11 (C) farmland transition and succession. 

Æ 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS