§ 610.14 Use of USLE, RUSLE, and WEQ.

(a) All Highly Erodible Land (HEL) determinations are based on the formulas set forth in 7 CFR § 12.21 using some of the factors from the USLE and WEQ and the factor values that were contained in the local Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) as of January 1, 1990. In addition, this includes the soil loss tolerance values used in those formulas for determining HEL. The soil loss tolerance value is used as one of the criteria for planning soil conservation systems. These values are available in the FOTG in the local field office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (b) RUSLE will be used to: (1)(i) Evaluate the soil loss estimates of conservation systems contained in the FOTG. (ii) Evaluate the soil loss estimates of systems actually applied, where those systems were applied differently than specified in the conservation plan adopted by the producer or where a conservation plan was not developed, in determining whether a producer has complied with the HEL conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq., set forth in 7 CFR part 12; and (2) Develop new or revised conservation plans.