Section 11-8-8-2-A-5-II - Success Standards and Measurement FrequencyA. General Revegetation Requirement for Ground Cover 1. Following prime farmland soil replacement, the soil surface shall be stabilized with a vegetative cover or other means that effectively controls soil loss by wind and water erosion.2. Ground cover shall consist of the species or species mixture which has been approved in the permit. Whenever the Prime Farmland is planted to a perennial cover, then up to five percent of the cover may consist of volunteer species not listed in Addendum T. Unacceptable plant species are listed in Addendum T.B. Crop Production on Prime Farmland 1. The success standard for prime farmland shall be determined on the basis of crop production. Crop production shall be considered acceptable if it is at least one hundred percent of the approved success standard at a ninety percent statistical confidence level (one sided test with a .10 alpha error) for an average of any three of the last four years of the five year responsibility period.2. Production shall be considered acceptable if it is at least one hundred percent of the approved success standard, at a ninety percent statistical confidence level, for an average of any three of the last four years of the five year responsibility period. If a reference area is used, the standard will be the annual crop yield for the reference area for the same year that the yield for the release area is being measured.3. Areas selected for the success standard or reference area for production shall:a. consist of similar plant species and diversity as approved in the permit.b. currently be managed under the same land use designation as the proposed mined release area.c. consist of soils of the same or similar texture, slope phase, similar soil series, and be in the same land capability class.d. all receive the same high level of management using acceptable approved practices common to the area.e. be located in the general vicinity to the mined test area to minimize weather variations.4. The sampling techniques shall use a ninety percent statistical confidence interval (i.e., one sided test with a .10 alpha error).5. Whenever production is equal to or exceeds the success standard, the statistical confidence interval test does not have to be performed.C. Selection of Reference Crop The reference crops chosen must consist of forages and/or row crops commonly grown in the area. The reference crops chosen shall be selected from crops that are commonly grown on the surrounding prime farmland. If row crops are the dominant crops grown in the area, then the crop with the greatest rooting depth shall be chosen as one of the reference crops for one of the three years.
If hay is used for two of the three cropping years, the county USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) must verify that hay crops are commonly grown on prime farmland in that county. The row crop selected must be verified by the USDA/NRCS as the most commonly grown crop with the greatest rooting depth. This verification will be done when the plan is approved by the Permit Board.
11 Miss. Code. R. 8-8-2-A-5-II