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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>55834</law_id><section_number>3.2-400</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>10.1-104.7</reference><reference>10.1-104.8</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="3.2">Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="I">General Provisions; Protection and Promotion of Agriculture</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Agricultural Stewardship</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Agricultural activity</span>&#x201D; means any activity used in the production of food and fiber, including farming, feedlots, grazing livestock, poultry raising, dairy farming, and aquaculture activities.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Agricultural stewardship plan</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;plan&#x201D; means a site-specific plan for an <span class="dictionary">agricultural activity</span> to manage, through use of <span class="dictionary">stewardship measures</span>, one or more of the following: soil, water, plants, plant nutrients, pest controls, wastes, and animals.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Board</span>&#x201D; means the Soil and Water Conservation <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Complaint</span>&#x201D; means an <span class="dictionary">allegation</span> made by any person to the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> that an <span class="dictionary">owner</span>&#x2019;s or <span class="dictionary">operator</span>&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">agricultural activity</span> is creating or, if not changed, will create <span class="dictionary">pollution</span> and that states the location and nature of such <span class="dictionary">agricultural activity</span>.
		&#x201C;District&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">soil and water conservation district</span>&#x201D; means a political subdivision of the Commonwealth organized in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/10.1-500/">10.1-500</a> et seq.) of Title 10.1.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Informal <span class="dictionary">fact</span>-<span class="dictionary">finding</span> conference</span>&#x201D; means an <span class="dictionary">informal <span class="dictionary">fact</span>-<span class="dictionary">finding</span> conference</span> conducted in accordance with &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Informal fact finding proceedings" href="/2.2-4019/">2.2-4019</a>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Operator</span>&#x201D; means any person who exercises managerial control over any <span class="dictionary">agricultural activity</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Owner</span>&#x201D; means any person who owns land where an <span class="dictionary">agricultural activity</span> occurs.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Pollution</span>&#x201D; means any alteration of the physical, chemical, or biological properties of any <span class="dictionary">state waters</span> resulting from sedimentation, nutrients, or toxins.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">State waters</span>&#x201D; means all water, on the surface or in the ground, wholly or partially within or bordering the Commonwealth or within its <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Stewardship measures</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;measures&#x201D; means measures for controlling the addition of pollutants from existing and new categories and classes of nonpoint sources of <span class="dictionary">pollution</span> that reflect the pollutant reduction achievable through the application of the best available nonpoint <span class="dictionary">pollution</span> control methods, technologies, processes, siting criteria, operating methods, or other alternatives.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Stewardship measures</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;measures&#x201D; includes: (i) agricultural water quality protection management measures described in the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Manual; and (ii) agricultural water quality protection management measures contained in the U.S. <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Agriculture&#x2019;s Natural Resources Conservation Service Field Office Technical Guide.</p></section></text><history>1996, c. 773, &#xA7; 10.1-559.1; 2000, c. 973; 2008, c. 860.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
