Instruction for AD-1026 (1)

Page 1 of 3

Instructions for AD-1026
Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC)
Certification
Producers shall use this form to certify compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland
conservation provisions as a condition of eligibility for certain USDA programs.� It is not
necessary to complete this form if a previously filed AD-1026 is on file in the FSA serving office and
there have not been any changes in your farming operation or changes to the previously listed
affiliates.
Submit the original of the completed form in hard copy of facsimile to the appropriate FSA
servicing office.
Customers who have established electronic access credentials with USDA may electronically
transmit this form to the USDA servicing office, provided that (1) the customer submitting the
form is the only person required to sign the transaction, or (2) the customer has an approved
Power of Attorney (Form FSA-211) on file with USDA to sign for other customers for the program
and type of transaction represented by this form.
Features for transmitting the form electronically are available to those customers with access
credentials only.� If you would like to establish online access credentials with USDA, follow the
instructions provided at the USDA eForms web site.

Producers must complete Parts A, B, and C, then sign and date in 10A and
10C of Part D.� Part D 11A and 11B are for FSA use only.
Instruction
Fld Name/
Item� �No.
Part A � Basic Information
1
Enter your full name or the name of the business entity applying for
USDA program benefits.
Producer�s
Name
2
Enter last 4 digits of your SSN or tax ID number.
Producer�s
Identification
Number
3
Enter crop year for which benefits are being requested.� In most cases,
Crop
it will be the current crop year.� However, if applying for program
Year
benefits for a past year, enter the specific year applicable to the
application.
4
List all affiliated persons with farming interests (as owner, operator, or
Farming
other producer on any farm).� Only affiliated persons with farming
Interests
interests are required to complete AD-1026.� See number 7 of AD1026 appendix to determine affiliated persons.

https://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/instruction?FileType=RevisionInstruction&FileNam... 5/7/2020

Page 2 of 3

5
Farming
Interests

Check box:
? �A� if you, or any affiliated person, does not have an interest
in land devoted to agriculture.� Examples include bee keepers
who place their hives on another person�s land, producers of
crops grown in greenhouses, and producers of aquaculture and
these producers do not own/lease any agriculture land
themselves.
Note:� Do not check this box if you share in a crop.
?

�B� if you, or any affiliated person, does not participate in any
USDA program that is subject to HELC and WC compliance
except Federal Crop Insurance, and only has interest in land
devoted to agriculture which is exclusively used for perennial
crops, except sugarcane, and has not converted a wetland after
February 7, 2014.
Note:� All 3 conditions must exist to check this box.

Perennial crops include, but are not limited to, tree fruit, tree nuts,
grapes, olives, native pasture and perennial forage.� A producer that
produces alfalfa should contact the Natural Resources Conservation
Service at the nearest USDA Service Center to determine whether such
production qualifies as production of a perennial crop.� A crop list for
compliance purposes is located at www.nrcs.usda.gov/compliance.
If either box �A� or box �B� is checked, go to Part D, read and
complete the certification.
Part B � HELC/WC Compliance Questions
6
ENTER �X� in either the �YES� or �NO� box.
Production of
Agricultural
Answer �YES� if during the crop year entered in Part A, or the term
Commodities
of a requested USDA loan, if you, did or will plant and produce an
agriculture commodity on land for which an HEL determination has not
been made.

7
Drainage
Evaluation
Questions

If �YES� is answered, FSA will request a HEL determination from
NRCS for the specific field(s) provided in Part C.
ENTER �X� in either the �YES� or �NO� box for each of the
items in 7A, 7B, and 7C.� Item 7A, 7B, and 7C questions refer to
drainage activity.
IF�
�Yes� is answered in Item 7A or
7B
�Yes� is answered in Item 7C
(maintenance)

THEN�
FSA will request a wetland
evaluation from NRCS for the
specific areas listed in Part C.
a certified wetland determination is
not required.� NRCS will be

https://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/instruction?FileType=RevisionInstruction&FileNam... 5/7/2020

Page 3 of 3

8
First time
participant due
to FCIC
reinsured crop
insurance
and tenant
�and landlord
refusal to
comply with
HELC
requirements

notified of the intention to maintain
an existing drainage system.
ENTER �X� in Box A if you have FCIC reinsured crop insurance and
the filing of this AD-1026 represents the first time the producer in Part
A, including any affiliated person, has been subject to HELC and WC
provisions.
ENTER �X� in Box B if either of the following applies to you for the
specified crop year in Part A Item 3:
?

�is a tenant on a farm that will not be in compliance with
HELC and WC provisions because the landlord refuses to allow
compliance, but other farms associated with that landlord are in
compliance (AD-1026B, must be completed).

?

�is a landlord of a farm that is not or will not be in compliance
with HELC and WC provisions because of a violation by the
tenant on that farm, but other farms not associated with that
tenant are in compliance (AD-1026C, must be completed).

If neither Box A nor Box B are checked proceed to Part C.
Part C � Additional Information
9
This item must be completed only if �YES� was answered in Items 6
Location,
or 7.� List farm, tract, and field number in A.� Briefly describe
activity,
activity in B.� List land use and specify crops in C.� List the location
current land
county in D.� Forward to NRCS the request for determinations only
use, of
applicable area for those fields that will be used in the production of an agriculture
commodity as defined by HELC and WC, or locations specifically
identified for wetland determinations in Part B.
Part D � Certifications
10
Read the Certification of Compliance statement and sign and date the
certification.
Producer�s
signature and
You should not sign AD-1026 if the producer�s farming operation is
date
not in compliance with all HELC and WC provisions.
11
This item is for FSA use only.

https://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/instruction?FileType=RevisionInstruction&FileNam... 5/7/2020