(a) Congressional statement of findingsCongress finds that—(1) the Nation’s farmland is a unique natural resource and provides food and fiber necessary for the continued welfare of the people of the United States;
(2) each year, a large amount of the Nation’s farmland is irrevocably converted from actual or potential agricultural use to nonagricultural use;
(3) continued decrease in the Nation’s farmland base may threaten the ability of the United States to produce food and fiber in sufficient quantities to meet domestic needs and the demands of our export markets;
(4) the extensive use of farmland for nonagricultural purposes undermines the economic base of many rural areas;
(5) Federal actions, in many cases, result in the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses where alternative actions would be preferred;
(6) the Department of Agriculture is the agency primarily responsible for the implementation of Federal policy with respect to United States farmland, assuring the maintenance of the agricultural production capacity of the United States, and has the personnel and other resources needed to implement national farmland protection policy; and
(7) the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies should take steps to assure that the actions of the Federal Government do not cause United States farmland to be irreversibly converted to nonagricultural uses in cases in which other national interests do not override the importance of the protection of farmland nor otherwise outweigh the benefits of maintaining farmland resources.
(b) Statement of purposeThe purpose of this chapter is to minimize the extent to which Federal programs contribute to the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses, and to assure that Federal programs are administered in a manner that, to the extent practicable, will be compatible with State, unit of local government, and private programs and policies to protect farmland.
(c) DefinitionsAs used in this chapter—(1) the term “farmland” includes all land defined as follows:(A) prime farmland is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, fiber, forage, oilseed, and other agricultural crops with minimum inputs of fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor, and without intolerable soil erosion, as determined by the Secretary. Prime farmland includes land that possesses the above characteristics but is being used currently to produce livestock and timber. It does not include land already in or committed to urban development or water storage;
(B) unique farmland is land other than prime farmland that is used for production of specific high-value food and fiber crops, as determined by the Secretary. It has the special combination of soil quality, location, growing season, and moisture supply needed to economically produce sustained high quality or high yields of specific crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Examples of such crops include citrus, tree nuts, olives, cranberries, fruits, and vegetables; and
(C) farmland, other than prime or unique farmland, that is of statewide or local importance for the production of food, feed, fiber, forage, or oilseed crops, as determined by the appropriate State or unit of local government agency or agencies, and that the Secretary determines should be considered as farmland for the purposes of this chapter;
(2) the term “State” means any of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the United States;
(3) the term “unit of local government” means the government of a county, municipality, town, township, village, or other unit of general government below the State level, or a combination of units of local government acting through an areawide agency under State law or an agreement for the formulation of regional development policies and plans;
(4) the term “Federal program” means those activities or responsibilities of a department, agency, independent commission, or other unit of the Federal Government that involve (A) undertaking, financing, or assisting construction or improvement projects; or (B) acquiring, managing, or disposing of Federal lands and facilities. The term “Federal program” does not include construction or improvement projects that on the effective date of this chapter are beyond the planning stage and are in either the active design or construction state; and
(5) the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(Pub. L. 97–98, title XV, § 1540, Dec. 22, 1981, 95 Stat. 1341.)
Editorial Notes
References in TextThe effective date of this chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(4), is six months after Dec. 22, 1981, see Effective Date note below.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective DatePub. L. 97–98, title XV, § 1549, Dec. 22, 1981, 95 Stat. 1344, provided that: “The provisions of this subtitle [subtitle I (§§ 1539–1549) of title XV of Pub. L. 97–98, enacting this chapter] shall become effective six months after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 22, 1981].”
Short TitlePub. L. 97–98, title XV, § 1539, Dec. 22, 1981, 95 Stat. 1341, provided that: “This subtitle [subtitle I (§§ 1539–1549) of title XV of Pub. L. 97–98, enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Farmland Protection Policy Act’.”
Farmland ProtectionPub. L. 101–624, title XIV, ch. 2, §§ 1465–1470B, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3616–3619, as amended by Pub. L. 102–237, title II, §§ 201(b), (c), 203, Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1847, 1848, provided that:
[Amendment by section 201(b), (c) of Pub. L. 102–237 to sections 1466 and 1470 of Pub. L. 101–624, set out above, effective as if included in the provision of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101–624, to which the amendment relates, see section 1101(b)(1) of Pub. L. 102–237, set out as an Effective Date of 1991 Amendment note under section 1421 of this title.]
Pub. L. 102–341, title VII, § 730, Aug. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 909, provided that: “For loan guarantees authorized under sections 1465–1469 of Public Law 101–624 [set out above] for the Agricultural Resource Conservation Demonstration Program, $10,000,000. For the cost, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C. 661a], $3,644,000: Provided, That, hereafter, no other funds are available in this or any other Act to carry out this program, other than those provided for in advance in Appropriations Acts, except for the cost of administering the program: Provided further, That such limitation shall not apply with respect to the duties and obligations of the Secretary regarding any loan or note guarantees, interest assistance agreements, or other understandings entered into during fiscal year 1992, and the personnel of the Department shall carry out the duties and obligations of the Secretary, and any other requirements imposed on the Secretary regarding such Agricultural Resource Conservation Demonstration Loan Program with respect to the loan made and guaranteed in 1992.”
Executive Documents
Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.