prime farmland

Land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and that is available for these uses, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (a U.S.-based methodology that sets criteria for highly productive soil). For a complete description of what qualifies as prime farmland, see U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Volume 6, Parts 400 to 699, Section 657.5.