03b. Guidelines for soil health assessments. The Department shall adopt and revise guidelines to assist soil and water conservation districts in determining local goals and needs for implementing soil health assessments. In developing its guidelines to assist soil and water conservation districts in determining local goals and needs for soil health assessments, the Department shall consider: (1) county and State levels of conservation practice adoption. Guidance should also be provided to districts to meet USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service determined conservation practice standards or Illinois Urban Manual Practice Standards; (2) information regarding beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as disadvantaged communities; (3) availability of State and federal financial and technical assistance programs to soil and water conservation districts, local governments, and conservation partners; and (4) opportunities for evaluating results-based practices utilizing tools, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's revised universal soil loss equation, that model environmental outcomes at the field, county, watershed, or State level. The information collected through the development of the guidelines shall be compiled and provided to the soil and water conservation districts to inform the development of local soil health assessments. Initial guidelines shall be completed and provided to soil and water conservation districts annually and shall include the grant agreement for the Soil and Water Conservation District Grants Program as well as outlining the funding resource support contained within the grant agreement to better inform the development of local soil health assessments. adoption. Guidance should also be provided to districts to meet USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service determined conservation practice standards or Illinois Urban Manual Practice Standards; disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as disadvantaged communities; technical assistance programs to soil and water conservation districts, local governments, and conservation partners; and practices utilizing tools, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's revised universal soil loss equation, that model environmental outcomes at the field, county, watershed, or State level.
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