Highly Erodible Land (HEL)

Land that is very susceptible to erosion, including fields that have at least 1/3 or 50 acres of soils with a natural erosion potential of at least 8 times their T value. About 104 million acres of cropland meet this definition of HEL, according to the 1997 National Resources Inventory. Farms cropping highly erodible land and under production flexibility contracts must be in compliance with a conservation plan that protects this cropland.

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