The following words and phrases used in this chapter, and others evidently intended as the equivalent thereof, shall, in the absence of clear implication herein otherwise, have the following respective meanings:

(1) ALLOCATED FUNDS. That portion of the funds appropriated to the commission that are allocated by the commission to the soil and water conservation district in each county of the state.

(2) AUTHORIZED INVESTMENTS. Bonds or other obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States of America or the state, or interest bearing bank and savings and loan association deposits or obligations, obligations of any agency of the United States of America, any obligations in which a state chartered savings and loan association may invest its funds, any agreement to repurchase any of the foregoing, or any thereof.

(3) COMMISSION. The Alabama Agricultural and Conservation Development Commission organized pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, and this chapter.

(4) COST-SHARE GRANT. An award of money made pursuant to the terms of this chapter with no requirement that such money be repaid except in the events outlined herein.

(5) ELIGIBLE LAND:

a. Privately-owned land within the state;

b. Land owned by the state or a political subdivision of the state;

c. Lands owned by corporations which are partly owned by the United States;

d. Lands temporarily owned by the United States or a corporation wholly owned by it, which were not acquired or reserved for conservation purposes, including lands administered by the Farmers Home Administration, the U.S. Department of Defense, or by any other government agency;

e. Any cropland farmed by private persons which is owned by the United States or a corporation wholly owned by it;

f. Noncropland owned by the United States on which practices are performed by private persons where such practices directly conserve or benefit nearby or adjoining privately-owned lands of the persons performing the practices and such persons maintain and use such federally-owned noncropland under agreement with the federal agency having jurisdiction thereof.

(6) ELIGIBLE PERSON. An individual, partnership, family-owned corporation the owners of all the stock of which are related by blood or marriage, estate, or trust who, as an owner, landlord, lessee, tenant or sharecropper, participates in the operation of (1) a farm lying within a soil and water conservation district, or (2) a tract of land devoted to the growth of timber lying within a soil and water conservation district.

(7) GOVERNOR. The Governor of the state.

(8) LANDOWNER. Any person, firm, or corporation holding title to land lying within a soil and water conservation district.

(9) PROGRAM YEAR. The period from October 1 to September 30.

(10) SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT. A governmental subdivision of this state and a public body corporate and politic organized pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 8 of Title 9.

(11) SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES. The measures approved by the commission and applied to the land that prevent soil erosion in the state or improve the quality of water from agricultural sources in the state or improve the forest resources of the state.

(12) STATE. The State of Alabama.

(13) STATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE. The agency of the state established and existing pursuant to Section 9-8-22.

(14) HEREIN, HEREBY, HEREUNDER, HEREOF, and other equivalent words refer to this chapter as an entirety and not solely to the particular section or portion thereof in which any such word is used. Where used in the chapter, words in the present tense shall be construed to include the future tense, the singular shall be construed to include the plural and the plural shall be construed to include the singular, and nouns and pronouns shall be construed to include all genders.