You are using an unsupported browser. This web site is designed for the current versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.
The Office of the Federal Register publishes documents on behalf of Federal agencies but does not have any authority over their programs. We recommend you directly contact the agency associated with the content in question.
If you have comments or suggestions on how to improve the www.ecfr.gov website or have questions about using www.ecfr.gov, please choose the 'Website Feedback' button below.
If you would like to comment on the current content, please use the 'Content Feedback' button below for instructions on contacting the issuing agency
Enhanced content is provided to the user to provide additional context.
This content is from the eCFR and is authoritative but unofficial.
Navigate by entering citations or phrases (eg: 1 CFR 1.1 49 CFR 172.101 Organization and Purpose 1/1.1 Regulation Y FAR).
Choosing an item from citations and headings will bring you directly to the content. Choosing an item from full text search results will bring you to those results. Pressing enter in the search box will also bring you to search results.
Background and more details are available in the Search & Navigation guide.
| Subpart F | Low-Carbon Agriculture Practice Standards | 2100.050 – 2100.052 | |||||||||
| |||||||||||
90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, unless otherwise noted.
This content is from the eCFR and may include recent changes applied to the CFR. The official, published CFR, is updated annually and available below under "Published Edition". You can learn more about the process here.
Subscribe to: 7 CFR Part 2100 Subpart F
View the most recent official publication:
These links go to the official, published CFR, which is updated annually. As a result, it may not include the most recent changes applied to the CFR. Learn more.
Information and documentation can be found in our developer resources.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the official legal print publication containing the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) is a continuously updated online version of the CFR. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR.
Learn more about the eCFR, its status, and the editorial process.
Low-carbon practices may be implemented individually or in combination on a field or management unit.
[90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, as amended at 91 FR 39358, June 29, 2026]
(a) Reduced till standards. To qualify as reduced till under this part, field(s) or management unit(s) must be managed according to the following standards:
(1) The T-DISC value of the tillage system must be no greater than 0.252. Tillage methods where the entire soil surface is disturbed by tillage operations such as chisel plowing, field cultivating, tandem disking, vertical tillage, or ridge tillage are permitted. The T-DISC value must include all field operations that are performed during the crop interval (that is, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, including fallow periods). The T-DISC value must be determined using USDA's T-DISC calculator or utilizing USDA's T-DISC methodology and underlying parameters to produce results equivalent to those produced by USDA's T-DISC calculator. Permitted methods are also commonly referred to as mulch tillage, conservation tillage, or ridge till;
(2) Primary inversion tillage implements (for example, moldboard plow) must not be used;
(3) Residue must not be burned or harvested; and
(4) Removing residue from the crop planting row area prior to or as part of the cash crop or cover crop planting or seeding operation is allowed.
(b) No-till standards. To qualify as no-till under this part, field(s) or management unit(s) must be managed according to the following standards:
(1) The T-DISC value of the tillage system must be no greater than 0.075. Full-width soil disturbance must not be performed, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, regardless of the depth of the tillage operation. Strip tillage and fertilizer injection are permitted. The T-DISC value must include all field operations that are performed during the crop interval (that is, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, including fallow periods). The T-DISC value must be determined using USDA's T-DISC calculator or utilizing USDA's T-DISC methodology and underlying parameters to produce results equivalent to those produced by USDA's T-DISC calculator;
(2) Residue must not be burned or harvested; and
(3) Removing residue from the crop planting row area prior to or as part of the cash crop or cover crop planting or seeding operation is allowed.
(c) Tillage management recordkeeping standards. Records must contain sufficient detail to be readily understood and auditable. Records may be of varying types and origins including, but not limited to, physical documentation (for example, paper forms, invoices, receipts, seed tags), digital files (including from farm management software), data generated by farm equipment (for example, precision agriculture equipment), remotely sensed data, georeferenced and timestamped photographs, or data and records used for participation in USDA programs. The records under this paragraph (c) for the year in which the practice is implemented must be kept for 5 years and demonstrate:
(1) Field(s) or management unit(s) where the practice is implemented, including location and acreage;
(2) All field operations including tillage and all other operations (including fertilizing, planting, controlling pests, seeding, harvesting) that may cause surface disturbance;
(3) Type of field operation including depth and width of disturbance and average speed of operation;
(4) Equipment used;
(5) Date(s) that each operation occurred; and
(6) Total bushels of the harvested production crop harvested from field(s) or management unit(s) where the practice was implemented.
(d) Tillage management verification. When auditing the reduced till or no-till practice, third-party verifiers must review documentation demonstrating all field operations including the type of operation, equipment used, and timing of operation. Using these records, third-party verifiers must verify the correct calculation (or perform the calculation) of a crop interval T-DISC value and verify that the value meets the standards of the reduced till or no-till practice.
[90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, as amended at 91 FR 39358, June 29, 2026]
(a) Cover crop standards. To qualify for the cover crop practice under this part, field(s) or management unit(s) must be managed according to the following standards:
(1) Cover crop species selection, seedbed preparation, seeding rate(s), seeding date, seeding depth, and seeding method must be consistent with applicable soil and site conditions;
(2) When a leguminous cover crop is used individually or as part of a mix, the farm producer must develop a nutrient budget which demonstrates:
(i) The available nitrogen resulting from the cover crop; and
(ii) An adjustment in total planned nitrogen application to the harvested production crop following the cover crop;
(3) Cover crops must be seeded in the fall. Cover crop may be interseeded into an existing or established crop. Cover crop species and seeding dates should not adversely affect crop yield or interfere with the maintenance and harvest process;
(4) Cover crops should be seeded as early as possible and terminated as late as practical (late vegetative stage or later), with termination timing established to minimize the risk of yield loss and soil moisture depletion;
(5) Cover crops must be terminated via winter kill or using herbicide or non-soil disturbing mechanical methods (that is, roller crimper, mowing) in the spring;
(6) Planting green is permitted;
(7) Cover crop biomass must not be mechanically harvested. Residues must remain on the surface following termination and may not be burned; and
(8) If cover crops are grazed prior to termination, grazing should occur at later stages of maturity in order to maximize root biomass and to allow for at least 50% of the total above ground vegetation to remain with the majority to be flattened onto the soil surface.
(b) Cover crop recordkeeping standards. Records must contain sufficient detail to be readily understood and auditable. Records may be of varying types and origins including, but not limited to, physical documentation (for example, paper forms, invoices, receipts, seed tags), digital files (including from farm management software), data generated by farm equipment (for example, precision agriculture equipment), remotely sensed data, georeferenced and timestamped photographs, or data and records used for participation in USDA programs. The records under this paragraph (b) for the year in which the practice is implemented must be kept for 5 years and demonstrate:
(1) Purchase and receipt of cover crop seed in sufficient quantities to cover the area seeded;
(2) Field(s) or management unit(s) where cover crop practice is implemented, including location and acreage;
(3) Cover crop seeding date, method, and seeding rate;
(4) Total acreage seeded in cover crop across the operation;
(5) Photographic evidence of cover crop establishment;
(6) Cover crop termination date and method;
(7) Total bushels of the crop harvested from field(s) or management unit(s) where the cover crop practice was implemented immediately prior to seeding or planting the harvested production crop; and
(8) For grazed cover crops, georeferenced and timestamped photographs of cover crops being grazed.
(c) Cover crop verification. When auditing the cover crop practice, third-party verifiers must review documentation demonstrating cover crop species selection, seeding date, seeding method, seeding rate, total seeded acreage, termination date, and termination method. Through an on-site visit, remote sensing data, or georeferenced and timestamped photographs, third-party verifiers must verify the establishment of cover crops.
[90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, as amended at 91 FR 39358, June 29, 2026]