(a)
The Director of Conservation may establish, after notice and hearing, rules and regulations, and require reports from local officials and may employ, borrow, or contract for such staff or other forms of assistance as are reasonably necessary to carry out this section, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 16140) of Part 1 of Division 4 of Title 2, and Section 612 of the Public Resources Code. In carrying out his or her duties under those sections, it is the intention of the Legislature that the director shall consult with the Director of Food and Agriculture and the Director of Planning and Research.
(b)
Commencing July 1, 1986, and continuing biennially thereafter, the Department of Conservation shall collect or acquire information on the amount of land converted to or from agricultural use using 1984 baseline information as updated pursuant to this section for every county for which Important Farmland Series maps exist. On or before June 30, 1988, and continuing biennially thereafter, the department shall report to the Legislature on the data collected pursuant to this section. In reporting, the department shall specify, by category of agricultural land, the amount of land converted to, or from, agricultural use, by county and on a statewide basis. The department shall also report on the nonagricultural uses to which these agricultural lands were converted or committed.
For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply unless otherwise specified:
(1)
“Important Farmland Series maps” means those maps compiled by the United States Soil Conservation Service and updated and modified by the Department of Conservation.
(2)
“Interim Farmland maps” means those maps prepared by the Department of Conservation for areas that do not have the current soil survey information needed to compile Important Farmland Series maps. The Interim Farmland maps shall indicate areas of irrigated agriculture, dry-farmed agriculture, grazing lands, urban and built-up lands, and any areas committed to urban or other nonagricultural uses.
(3)
“Category of agricultural land” means prime farmland, farmland of statewide importance, unique farmland, and farmland of local importance, as defined pursuant to United States Department of Agriculture land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California, and grazing land. “Grazing land” means land on which the existing vegetation, whether grown naturally or through management, is suitable for grazing or browsing of livestock.
(4)
“Amount of land converted to agricultural use” means those lands which were brought into agricultural use or reestablished in agricultural use and were not shown as agricultural land on Important Farmland Series maps maintained by the Department of Conservation in the most recent biennial report.
(5)
“Amount of land converted from agricultural use” means those lands which were permanently converted or committed to urban or other nonagricultural uses and were shown as agricultural land on Important Farmland Series maps maintained by the Department of Conservation and in the most recent biennial report.
(c)
Beginning August 1, 1986, and continuing biennially thereafter, the Department of Conservation shall update and send counties copies of current Important Farmland Series maps. Counties may review the maps and notify the department within 90 days of any changes in agricultural land pursuant to subdivision (b) that occurred during the previous fiscal year, and note and request correction of any discrepancies or errors in the classification of agricultural lands on the maps. The department shall make those corrections requested by counties. The department shall provide staff assistance, as available, to collect or acquire information on the amount of land converted to, or from, agricultural use for those counties for which Important Farmland Series maps exist.
(d)
The Department of Conservation may also acquire any supplemental information which becomes available from new soil surveys and establish comparable baseline data for counties not included in the 1984 baseline, and shall report on the data pursuant to this section. The Department of Conservation may prepare Interim Farmland maps to supplement the Important Farmland Series maps.
(e)
The Legislature finds that the purpose of the Important Farmland Series maps and the Interim Farmland maps is not to consider the economic viability of agricultural lands or their current designation in the general plan. The purpose of the maps is limited to the preparation of an inventory of agricultural lands, as defined in this chapter, as well as land already committed to future urban or other nonagricultural purposes.