As used in the Healthy Soil Act:

A. "board of regents" means the board of regents of New Mexico state university;

B. "champion" means a land manager that is declared a soil health champion due to the land manager's excellence in applying and promoting soil health principles, as modeled by the soil health champion program of the national association of conservation districts;

C. "commission" means the soil and water conservation commission;

D. "department" means the New Mexico department of agriculture;

E. "eligible entity" means a local governmental entity with proven land management capacity to support healthy soil and includes the New Mexico state university cooperative extension service, a soil and water conservation district, an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo, a land grant or an acequia;

F. "healthy soil" means soil that enhances its continuing capacity to function as a biological system, increases its organic matter and improves its structure and water- and nutrient-holding capacity;

G. "program" means the healthy soil program created in the Healthy Soil Act;

H. "soil health principle" means a principle that promotes soil health in a given environment and includes:

(1) keeping soil covered;

(2) minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs;

(3) maximizing biodiversity;

(4) maintaining a living root; or

(5) integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms;

I. "supported method" means a method that is based upon soil health principles and is scientifically supported to promote healthy soil;

J. "technical assistance" means assistance provided to a farmer or rancher to achieve the purpose of the Healthy Soil Act and includes outreach, education, financial assistance or assistance with project planning, project design, grant applications, project implementation or project reporting; and

K. "technical assistance provider" means a local, state, federal, tribal or educational entity with demonstrated technical expertise in designing and implementing agricultural management practices that contribute to healthy soils and includes a soil and water conservation district, the New Mexico state university cooperative extension service, the United States natural resources conservation service, the United States forest service, the United States bureau of land management, the state land office, the energy, minerals and natural resources department or the state forestry division.

History: Laws 2019, ch. 126, § 2.

Effective dates. — Laws 2019, ch. 126 contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective June 14, 2019, 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature.