[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 6]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR657.4]

[Page 544-545]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
   CHAPTER VI--NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF 
                               AGRICULTURE
 
PART 657_PRIME AND UNIQUE FARMLANDS--Table of Contents
 
                 Subpart A_Important Farmlands Inventory
 
Sec. 657.4  NRCS responsibilities.

    (a) State Conservationist. Each NRCS State Conservationist is to:

[[Page 545]]

    (1) Provide leadership for inventories of important farmlands for 
the State, county, or other subdivision of the State. Each is to work 
with appropriate agencies of State government and others to establish 
priorities for making these inventories.
    (2) Identify the soil mapping units within the State that qualify as 
prime. In doing this, State Conservationists, in consultation with the 
cooperators of the National Cooperative Soil Survey, have the 
flexibility to make local deviation from the permeability criterion or 
to be more restrictive for other specific criteria in order to assure 
the most accurate identification of prime farmlands for a State. Each is 
to invite representatives of the Governor's office, agencies of the 
State government, and others to identify farmlands of statewide 
importance and unique farmlands that are to be inventoried within the 
framework of this memorandum.
    (3) Prepare a statewide list of:
    (i) Soil mapping units that meet the criteria for prime farmland;
    (ii) Soil mapping units that are farmlands of statewide importance 
if the criteria used were based on soil information; and
    (iii) Specific high-value food and fiber crops that are grown and, 
when combined with other favorable factors, qualify lands to meet the 
criteria for unique farmlands. Copies are to be furnished to NRCS Field 
Offices and to National Soil Survey Center. (see 7 CFR 600.2(c), 600.6)
    (4) Coordinate soil mapping units that qualify as prime farmlands 
with adjacent States, including Major Land Resource Area Offices (see 7 
CFR 600.4, 600.7) responsible for the soil series. Since farmlands of 
statewide importance and unique farmlands are designated by others at 
the State level, the soil mapping units and areas identified need not be 
coordinated among States.
    (5) Instruct NRCS District Conservationists to arrange local review 
of lands identified as prime, unique, and additional farmlands of 
statewide importance by Conservation Districts and representatives of 
local agencies. This review is to determine if additional farmland 
should be identified to meet local decisionmaking needs.
    (6) Make and publish each important farmland inventory on a base map 
of national map accuracy at an intermediate scale of 1:50,000 or 
1:100,000. State Conservationists who need base maps of other scales are 
to submit their requests with justification to the Chief for 
consideration.
    (b) National Soil Survey Center. The National Soil Survey Center is 
to provide requested technical assistance to State Conservationists and 
Major Land Resource Area Offices in inventorying prime and unique 
farmlands (see 7 CFR 600.2(c)(1), 600.4, 600.7). This includes reviewing 
statewide lists of soil mapping units that meet the criteria for prime 
farmlands and resolving coordination problems that may occur among 
States for specific soil series or soil mapping units.
    (c) National Office. The Deputy Chief for Soil Survey and Resource 
Assessment (see 7 CFR 600.2(b)(3)) is to provide national leadership in 
preparing guidelines for inventorying prime farmlands and for national 
statistics and reports of prime farmlands.

[43 FR 4031, Jan. 31, 1978, as amended at 65 FR 57538, Sept. 25, 2000]