(a) At the end of the initial 5-year contract period, NRCS may allow a participant to renew the contract to receive payments for one additional 5-year period, subject to the availability of funds, if the participant meets criteria from paragraph (b) of this section.
(b) To be considered for contract renewal, the participant must:
(1) Be in compliance with the terms of their initial contract as determined by NRCS;
(2) Add any newly acquired eligible land that is part of the agricultural operation that NRCS determines must be included in the renewal contract, except that any newly enrolled acres will be included in the yearly annual 10 million acre cap on new enrollment;
(3) Agree to adopt and continue to integrate conservation activities across the entire agricultural operation as determine by NRCS; and
(4) Agree, at a minimum, to meet or exceed the stewardship thresholds for at least two additional applicable priority resource concerns on the agricultural operation; or to exceed the stewardship threshold of two existing applicable priority resource concerns that are specified by the Chief in the initial contract by the end of the renewed contract period.