(6) existing conservation programs do not pro-
vide opportunities for all interested agricultural pro-
ducers to participate;
(7) a voluntary, incentive-based conservation
program open to all agricultural producers that
qualify and desire to participate would—
(A) encourage greater improvement of nat-
ural resources and the environment;
(B) address the economic implications of
conservation practices in a manner consistent
with international obligations of the United
States; and
(C) enable United States farmers and
ranchers to produce food for a growing world
population;
(8) total farm conservation planning can help
producers increase profitability, enhance resource
protection, and improve quality of life;
(9) on-farm practices may help deter invasive
species that jeopardize native species or impair agri-
cultural land of the United States; and
(10) a conservation program described in para-
graph (7) would help achieve a better balance be-
tween Federal payments supporting conservation on
land used for agricultural production and Federal
payments for the purpose of retiring agricultural
land from production.
SEC. 3. CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title XII of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3830 et seq.) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘CHAPTER 6—CONSERVATION SECURITY
PROGRAM
‘‘SEC. 1240P. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘In this chapter:
‘‘(1) CONSERVATION
PRACTICE.—The term
‘conservation practice’ means a land-based farming
technique that—
‘‘(A) requires planning, implementation,
management, and maintenance; and
‘‘(B) promotes 1 or more of the purposes
described in section 1240Q(a).
‘‘(2) CONSERVATION
SECURITY
CONTRACT.—
The term ‘conservation security contract’ means a
contract described in section 1240Q(e).
‘‘(3) CONSERVATION
SECURITY
PLAN.—The
term ‘conservation security plan’ means a plan de-
scribed in section 1240Q(c).
‘‘(4) CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM.—The
term ‘conservation security program’ means the pro-
gram established under section 1240Q(a).
‘‘(5) NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT.—The term ‘nu-
trient management’ means management of the quan-
tity, source, placement, form, and timing of the land
application of nutrients and other additions to soil—
‘‘(A) to achieve or maintain adequate soil
fertility for agricultural production; and
‘‘(B) to minimize the potential for loss of
environmental quality, including soil, water, and
air quality impairment.
‘‘(6) RESOURCE-CONSERVING CROP.—The term
‘resource-conserving crop’ means—
‘‘(A) a perennial grass;
‘‘(B) a legume grown for use as forage or
green manure;
‘‘(C) a legume-grass mixture;
‘‘(D) a small grain grown in combination
with a grass or legume, whether interseeded or
planted in succession; and
‘‘(E) such other plantings, including trees,
as the Secretary considers appropriate for a
particular area.
‘‘(7) 
RESOURCE-CONSERVING
CROP
ROTA-
TION.—The term ‘resource-conserving crop rotation’
means a crop rotation that—
‘‘(A) includes at least 1 resource-con-
serving crop;
‘‘(B) reduces erosion;
‘‘(C) improves soil fertility and tilth; and
‘‘(D) interrupts pest cycles.
‘‘(8) RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM.—The
term ‘resource management system’ means a system
of conservation practices and management relating
to land or water use that is designed to prevent re-
source degradation and permit sustained use of the
land and water.
‘‘SEC. 1240Q. CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a
conservation security program to assist owners and opera-
tors of agricultural operations to promote, as is applicable
for each operation—
‘‘(1) conservation of soil, water, energy, and
other related resources;
‘‘(2) soil quality protection and improvement;
‘‘(3) water quality protection and improvement;
‘‘(4) air quality protection and improvement;
‘‘(5) soil, plant, or animal health and well-
being;
‘‘(6) diversity of flora and fauna;
‘‘(7) on-farm conservation and regeneration of
biological resources, including plant and animal
germplasm;
‘‘(8) wetland restoration, conservation, and en-
hancement;
‘‘(9) wildlife habitat restoration, conservation,
and enhancement;
‘‘(10) reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
and enhancement of carbon sequestration;
‘‘(11) protection of human health and safety;
‘‘(12) environmentally sound management of
invasive species; or
‘‘(13) any similar conservation purpose (as de-
termined by the Secretary).
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to participate
in the conservation security program (other than to
receive technical assistance under subsection (h)(6)
for the development of conservation security con-
tracts), an owner or operator shall—
‘‘(A) develop and submit to the Secretary,
and obtain the approval of the Secretary of, a
conservation security plan that meets the re-
quirements of subsection (c); and
‘‘(B) enter into a conservation security
contract with the Secretary to carry out the
conservation security plan.
‘‘(2) INELIGIBLE LAND.—Land enrolled in the
conservation reserve program under subchapter B of
chapter I shall not be eligible for enrollment in the
conservation security program except for land en-
rolled in partial field conservation practice enroll-
ment options.
‘‘(c) CONSERVATION SECURITY PLANS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A conservation security
plan shall—
‘‘(A) identify the resources and designated
land to be conserved under the conservation se-
curity plan;
‘‘(B) describe the tier of conservation prac-
tices, and the particular conservation practices
to be implemented, maintained, or improved, in
accordance with subsection (d) on the land that
will be enrolled in the conservation security pro-
gram covered by the conservation security con-
tract for the specified term;
‘‘(C) contain a schedule for the implemen-
tation, maintenance, or improvement of the con-
servation practices described in the conservation
security plan during the term of the conserva-
tion security contract;
‘‘(D) meet the requirements of the highly
erodible land and wetland conservation require-
ments of subtitles B and C; and
‘‘(E) contain such other terms as the Sec-
retary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(2) COMPREHENSIVE
PLANNING.—The Sec-
retary shall encourage owners and operators that
enter into conservation security contracts—
‘‘(A) to undertake a comprehensive exam-
ination of the opportunities for conserving nat-
ural resources and improving the profitability,
environmental health, and quality of life in rela-
tion to their entire agricultural operations;
‘‘(B) to develop a long-term strategy for
implementing, monitoring, and evaluating con-
servation practices and environmental results in
the entire agricultural operation;
‘‘(C) to participate in other Federal con-
servation programs; and
‘‘(D) to maintain the agricultural integrity
of the land.
‘‘(3) STATE AND LOCAL CONSERVATION PRIOR-
ITIES.—To the maximum extent practicable and in
a manner consistent with the conservation security
program, each conservation security plan shall ad-
dress the conservation priorities of the State and lo-
cality in which the agricultural operation is located
(as determined by the State conservationist in con-
sultation with the State technical committee estab-
lished under subtitle G and the local working groups
of the State technical committee).
‘‘(d) CONSERVATION PRACTICES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
TIERS.—The
Secretary shall establish 3 tiers of conservation
practices that are eligible for payment under a
conservation security contract.
‘‘(B) CONSERVATION
PRACTICE
STAND-
ARDS.—To the maximum extent practicable, the
Secretary shall establish guidance standards for
implementation of eligible conservation prac-
tices that shall include measurable goals for en-
hancing and preventing degradation of re-
sources.
‘‘(2) SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC USES.—With re-
spect to land enrolled in the conservation security
program, including land use adjustment activities
specified under Tier II, the Secretary shall permit
economic uses of the land that—
‘‘(A) maintain the agricultural nature of
land;
‘‘(B) achieve the natural resource and en-
vironmental benefits of the plan; and
‘‘(C) are approved as part of the conserva-
tion security plan.
‘‘(3) ON-FARM
RESEARCH
AND
DEMONSTRA-
TION.—With respect to land enrolled in the con-
servation security program that will be maintained
using a Tier II or Tier III conservation practice es-
tablished under paragraph (5), the Secretary may
approve a conservation security plan that includes
on-farm research and demonstration activities, in-
cluding innovative approaches to—
‘‘(A) total farm planning;
‘‘(B) total resource management;
‘‘(C) integrated farming systems;
‘‘(D) germplasm conservation and regen-
eration;
‘‘(E) carbon sequestration;
‘‘(F) agro-ecological restoration and wild-
life habitat restoration;
‘‘(G) agro-forestry;
‘‘(H) invasive species control; or
‘‘(I) farm and environmental results moni-
toring and evaluation.
‘‘(4) USE OF HANDBOOK AND GUIDES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In determining eligible
conservation practices under the conservation
security program, the Secretary shall use the
National Handbook of Conservation Practices
and the field office technical guides of the Nat-
ural Resources Conservation Service.
‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENTS.—After providing no-
tice and an opportunity for public participation,
the Secretary shall make such adjustments to
the National Handbook of Conservation Prac-
tices as are necessary to carry out this chapter.
‘‘(C) PILOT TESTING.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Under any of the
3 tiers of conservation practices established
under paragraph (5), the Secretary may
approve requests by an owner or operator
for pilot testing of new technologies and
innovative conservation practices and sys-
tems.
‘‘(ii) INCORPORATION
INTO
STAND-
ARDS.—After evaluation by the Secretary
and provision of notice and an opportunity
for public participation, the Secretary may
incorporate new technologies and innova-
tive conservation practices and systems
into the standards for implementation of
conservation practices established under
paragraph (1)(B).
‘‘(5) TIERS.—To carry out this subsection, the
Secretary shall establish the following 3 tiers of con-
servation practices:
‘‘(A) TIER I.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A conservation se-
curity plan for land enrolled in the con-
servation security program that will be
maintained using Tier I conservation prac-
tices shall—
‘‘(I) address priority resource
concerns for the particular agricul-
tural operation;
‘‘(II) apply to the total agricul-
tural operation or to a particular unit
of the agricultural operation;
‘‘(III) cover both—
‘‘(aa) conservation practices
that are being implemented as of
the date on which the conserva-
tion security contract is entered
into; and
‘‘(bb) conservation practices
that 
are 
newly 
implemented
under the conservation security
contract; and
‘‘(IV) meet applicable standards
for implementation of conservation
practices established under paragraph
(1)(B).
‘‘(ii) CONSERVATION
PRACTICES.—
Tier I conservation practices shall consist
of, as appropriate for the agricultural oper-
ation of an owner or operator, 1 or more
of the following basic conservation activi-
ties:
‘‘(I) Soil conservation, quality,
and residue management.
‘‘(II) Nutrient management.
‘‘(III) Pest management.
‘‘(IV) Invasive species manage-
ment.
‘‘(V) Irrigation water conserva-
tion and water quality management.
‘‘(VI) 
Grazing, 
pasture, 
and
rangeland management.
‘‘(VII) Wildlife habitat manage-
ment, with special emphasis on spe-
cies identified by the natural heritage
program of the State.
‘‘(VIII) 
Plant 
and 
animal
germplasm conservation, evaluation,
and development.
‘‘(IX) Contour farming.
‘‘(X) Strip cropping.
‘‘(XI) Cover cropping.
‘‘(XII) Recordkeeping.
‘‘(XIII) Any other conservation
practice that the Secretary determines
to be appropriate and comparable to
other conservation practices described
in this clause.
‘‘(B) TIER II.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A conservation se-
curity plan for land enrolled in the con-
servation security program that will be
maintained using Tier II conservation
practices shall—
‘‘(I) address priority resource
concerns specified in the conservation
security plan covering the total agri-
cultural operation;
‘‘(II) cover both—
‘‘(aa) conservation practices
that are being implemented as of
the date on which the conserva-
tion security contract is entered
into; and
‘‘(bb) conservation practices
that 
are 
newly 
implemented
under the conservation security
contract; and
‘‘(III) meet applicable resource
management system criteria for the
priority resource concerns of the agri-
cultural operation.
‘‘(ii) CONSERVATION
PRACTICES.—
Tier II conservation practices shall consist
of, as appropriate for the agricultural oper-
ation of an owner or operator, Tier I con-
servation practices and 1 or more of the
following practices:
‘‘(I) Resource-conserving crop ro-
tations.
‘‘(II) Controlled, rotational graz-
ing.
‘‘(III) Conversion of portions of
cropland from a soil-depleting use to a
soil-conserving use, including produc-
tion of cover crops.
‘‘(IV) Partial field conservation
practices (including windbreaks, grass
waterways, shelter belts, filter strips,
riparian buffers, wetland buffers, con-
tour buffer strips, living snow fences,
crosswind trap strips, field borders,
grass terraces, wildlife corridors, and
critical area planting).
‘‘(V) Wildlife habitat protection
and restoration.
‘‘(VI) Prairie protection and res-
toration.
‘‘(VII) Wetland protection and
restoration.
‘‘(VIII) Any other conservation
practice involving modification of the
use of land that the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate and com-
parable to other conservation practices
described in this clause.
‘‘(C) TIER III.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A conservation se-
curity plan for land enrolled in the con-
servation security program that will be
maintained using Tier III conservation
practices shall—
‘‘(I) address all resource concerns
of the total agricultural operation;
‘‘(II) cover both—
‘‘(aa) conservation practices
that are being implemented as of
the date on which the conserva-
tion security contract is entered
into; and
‘‘(bb) conservation practices
that 
are 
newly 
implemented
under the conservation security
contract; and
‘‘(III) meet applicable resource
management system criteria.
‘‘(ii) CONSERVATION
PRACTICES.—
Tier III conservation practices shall consist
of, as appropriate for the agricultural oper-
ation of an owner or operator—
‘‘(I) appropriate Tier I and Tier
II conservation practices; and
‘‘(II) development, implementa-
tion, and maintenance of a conserva-
tion security plan that, over the term
of 
the 
conservation 
security
contract—
‘‘(aa) integrates a full com-
plement of conservation practices
to foster environmental enhance-
ment and the long-term sustain-
ability of the natural resource
base of an agricultural operation;
and
‘‘(bb) improves profitability
and quality of life associated with
the agricultural operation.
‘‘(e) CONSERVATION SECURITY CONTRACTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On approval of a conserva-
tion security plan of an owner or operator, the Sec-
retary shall enter into a conservation security con-
tract with the owner or operator to enroll the land
covered by the conservation security plan in the con-
servation security program.
‘‘(2) TERM.—Subject to paragraphs (3) and
(4)—
‘‘(A) a conservation security contract for
land enrolled in the conservation security pro-
gram that will be maintained using 1 or more
Tier I conservation practices shall have a term
of 5 years; and
‘‘(B) a conservation security contract for
land enrolled in the conservation security pro-
gram that implements a conservation security
plan that meets the requirements of subpara-
graph (B) or (C) of subsection (d)(5) shall have
a term of 5 to 10 years, at the option of the
owner or operator.
‘‘(3) MODIFICATIONS.—
‘‘(A) OPTIONAL MODIFICATIONS.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary
shall provide regular opportunity for an
owner or operator to apply to the Sec-
retary to modify the conservation security
plan in a manner consistent with the pur-
poses of the conservation security program.
‘‘(ii) 
APPROVAL
BY
THE
SEC-
RETARY.—Any modification under clause
(i)—
‘‘(I) shall be approved by the
Secretary; and
‘‘(II) shall authorize the Sec-
retary to redetermine, if necessary,
the amount and timing of the pay-
ments pursuant to the conservation
security contract under subsection
(h)(2)(C).
‘‘(B) REQUIRED MODIFICATIONS.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary
may in writing require an owner or oper-
ator to modify a conservation security con-
tract before the expiration of the conserva-
tion security contract if the Secretary de-
termines that a change made to the size,
the management, or any other aspect of
the agricultural operation of the owner or
operator would, without the modification,
interfere with achieving the purposes of the
conservation security program.
‘‘(ii) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.—The Sec-
retary may adjust the payment schedule
under the conservation security contract to
reflect any modifications required under
this subparagraph.
‘‘(iii) DEADLINE.—The Secretary may
terminate a conservation security contract
if a modification required under this sub-
paragraph is not submitted to the Sec-
retary in the form of an amended con-
servation security contract by the date that
is 90 days after the date of receipt of the
written request for the modification.
‘‘(iv) TERMINATION.—An owner or
operator that is required to modify a con-
servation security contract under this sub-
paragraph may, in lieu of modifying the
contract—
‘‘(I) terminate the conservation
security contract; and
‘‘(II) retain payments received
under the conservation security con-
tract, if the owner or operator fully
‘‘(A) in the case of a contract to maintain
Tier I conservation practices described in sub-
section (d)(5)(A), the greater of—
‘‘(i) $1,000; or
‘‘(ii) 20 percent of the value of the
annual payment under the contract, as de-
termined by the Secretary;
‘‘(B) in the case of a contract to maintain
Tier II conservation practices described in sub-
section (d)(5)(B), the greater of—
‘‘(i) $2,000; or
‘‘(ii) 20 percent of the value of the
annual payment under the contract, as de-
termined by the Secretary; or
‘‘(C) in the case of a contract to maintain
Tier III conservation practices described in sub-
section (d)(5)(C), the greater of—
‘‘(i) $3,000; or
‘‘(ii) 20 percent of the value of the
annual payment under the contract, as de-
termined by the Secretary.
‘‘(2) ANNUAL PAYMENTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B) through (D), under a conservation
security contract, the Secretary shall, in
‘‘(ii) PAYMENT
LIMITATIONS.—If an
owner or operator has land enrolled in the
conservation security program and 1 or
more other conservation programs adminis-
tered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall
include all payments, other than easement
or rental payments, from the conservation
security program and the other conserva-
tion programs in applying the annual pay-
ment limitations under subparagraph (A).
‘‘(E) WASTE STORAGE OR TREATMENT FA-
CILITIES.—An annual payment to an owner or
operator under this paragraph shall not be pro-
vided for the purpose of construction or mainte-
nance of animal waste storage or treatment fa-
cilities or associated waste transport or transfer
devices for animal feeding operations.
‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall
issue regulations—
‘‘(i) defining the term ‘person’ for the
purposes of this chapter—
‘‘(I) which regulations shall con-
form, to the extent practicable, to the