Illinois Rivers-Friendly Farmer Program Act (505 ILCS 106/)

Chapter 505 — Agriculture

This text is maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau for legislative drafting purposes and is NOT the official text of the Illinois Compiled Statutes; the only official copy is the printed copy maintained by the Secretary of State.

Sec. 1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Illinois Rivers-Friendly Farmer Program Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 5. Program established

The Department of Agriculture shall establish the Illinois Rivers-Friendly Farmer Program to recognize farmers helping to protect and enhance the State's rivers.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 10. Purposes

The program is intended to promote farming practices that benefit rivers while maintaining farm profitability and to inform the public about farmers' contributions to cleaning up of the rivers of Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 15.

A farmer seeking the "Rivers-Friendly Farmer" designation may submit a written application to the Department of Agriculture or an agency designated by the Department by rule.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 20. Program criteria

Farmers who satisfy all of the following criteria applicable to their operations may be designated Rivers-Friendly farmers:

(1) Soil loss on cropland is at or below the tolerable soil loss level as certified by a local Soil and Water Conservation District.

(2) An approved farm conservation plan is on file at the local Soil and Water Conservation District office.

(3) If the farm is required to have a vegetative filter strip, adjacent to a body of water, the strip was constructed in accordance with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Technical Guide.

(4) Evidence of participation in programs such as the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or the Department's Conservation 2000 Conservation Practices Program, and Agricultural Areas in accordance with Illinois' Agricultural Areas Conservation and Protection Act, can be considered but is not required to be designated as a "Rivers-Friendly Farmer".

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 25. Rules

The Department of Agriculture shall adopt rules to implement and administer this Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)

Sec. 30. Processing Fee

Any local Soil and Water Conservation District that chooses to review a written application for the "Rivers-Friendly Farmer" designation may collect a reasonable fee for services rendered.

The Department of Agriculture may collect an administrative filing fee of $15 for each application for a "Rivers-Friendly Farmer" designation. In addition, the Department shall collect an amount equal to the cost of providing a sign that designates a farmer as a "Rivers-Friendly Farmer".

All moneys collected by the Department shall be deposited into a promotional trust account as provided in Section 40.7 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Funds collected shall be used for the purposes of the program authorized by this Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-570, eff. 1-1-00.)