§ 1410.70 - Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program.

§ 1410.70 Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program.

(a) Enrollments under the Soil Heath and Income Protection Pilot Program will be administered under the provisions of this part, except where specifically provided otherwise.

(b) Notwithstanding § 1410.6(b) and (c), to be eligible under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program, land must be cropland that:

(1) Is physically located within a Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program pilot area specified by CCC;

(2) Has been annually planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity each of the 3 crop years immediately preceding the year in which the offer for enrollment is submitted; and

(3) Is verified to be less productive land, as compared to other land on the farm from which the land is offered for enrollment.

(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b) of this section, land will be ineligible for enrollment under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program if the land was enrolled in CRP in any of the 3 crop years immediately preceding the year in which the offer for enrollment is submitted. Further, not more than 15 percent of the eligible land on a farm may be enrolled in the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program.

(d) Notwithstanding § 1410.30, offers for contracts under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program may be submitted only during signup periods as announced by CCC. Further, eligible land may only be enrolled under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program through December 31, 2020. Acreage determined eligible in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section may be automatically accepted in CRP without further evaluation if:

(1) A producer is eligible under § 1410.5; and

(2) The producer accepts either the maximum payment rate CCC is willing to pay to enroll the acreage in CRP, or a lesser rate.

(e) The approved cover for land enrolled under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program is the lowest practicable cost permanent vegetative cover.

(f) Notwithstanding § 1410.40, CCC will not provide any cost-share payments for planting the approved permanent vegetative cover, except as provided for in paragraph (g) of this section.

(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (f) of this section and § 1410.41, CCC will provide cost-share payments of 50 percent of the eligible actual cost of installation of the approved permanent vegetative cover to beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, upon a determination that the approved permanent vegetative cover has been planted.

(h) The contract period for land enrolled under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program will be for a term of 3, 4, or 5 years, as requested by the producer.

(i) The following uses are permitted on land enrolled under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program:

(1) Without any reduction in the annual rental payment, the land may be:

(i) Made available for a walk-in access program of the applicable State; and

(ii) Hayed or grazed outside the primary nesting season, provided adequate stubble height of the cover is maintained to protect the soil as specified in the conservation plan; and

(2) In exchange for a 25 percent reduction to the annual rental payment, and not being eligible to be insured or reinsured under the Federal Crop Insurance Act, the land may be harvested for seed outside the primary nesting season if included in the conservation plan.

(j) A CRP contract for land enrolled under the Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program may be terminated before the end of the CRP contract period by either:

(1) CCC, if CCC determines that such termination is appropriate; or

(2) The participant, upon the condition that all CCC payments made with respect to the CRP contract being terminated are refunded.