Conservation of private grazing land

It is the purpose of this section to authorize the Secretary to provide a coordinated technical, educational, and related assistance program to conserve and enhance private grazing land resources and provide related benefits to all citizens of the United States by— In this section: The term “Department” means the Department of Agriculture. The term “private grazing land” means private, State-owned, tribally-owned, and any other non-federally owned rangeland, pastureland, grazed forest land, and hay land. The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture. Subject to the availability of appropriations for this section, the Secretary shall establish a voluntary program to provide technical, educational, and related assistance to owners and managers of private grazing land and public agencies, through local conservation districts, to enable the landowners, managers, and public agencies to voluntarily carry out activities that are consistent with this section, including— managing resources on private grazing land, including— If funding is provided to carry out this section, it shall be provided through a specific line-item in the annual appropriations for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Personnel of the Department trained in pasture and range management shall be made available under the program to deliver and coordinate technical assistance and education to owners and managers of private grazing land, at the request of the owners and managers. In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall provide education and outreach activities through partnerships with— Congress finds that— In accordance with paragraph (3), the Secretary may establish 2 grazing management demonstration districts at the recommendation of the grazing land conservation initiative steering committee. Within a reasonable time after the submission of a request of an organization of farmers or ranchers engaged in grazing, the Secretary shall propose that a grazing management district be established. The terms and conditions of the funding and operation of the grazing management district shall be proposed by the producers. The Secretary shall approve the proposal if the Secretary determines that the proposal— The area proposed to be included in a grazing management district shall be determined by the Secretary on the basis of an application by farmers or ranchers. The Secretary may use authority under the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to operate, on a demonstration basis, a grazing management district. The activities of a grazing management district shall be scientifically sound activities, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with a technical advisory committee composed of ranchers, farmers, and technical experts. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2023.