[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5205 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5205

To amend the Agricultural Market Transition Act to establish a flexible 
 fallow program under which a producer may idle a portion of the total 
planted acreage of the loan commodities of the producer in exchange for 
   higher loan rates for marketing assistance loans on the remaining 
                        acreage of the producer.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2000

Mr. Bereuter (for himself and Mr. Minge) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Market Transition Act to establish a flexible 
 fallow program under which a producer may idle a portion of the total 
planted acreage of the loan commodities of the producer in exchange for 
   higher loan rates for marketing assistance loans on the remaining 
                        acreage of the producer.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Food Security and Land Stewardship 
Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FLEXIBLE FALLOW PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Agricultural Market Transition Act is amended 
by inserting after section 137 (7 U.S.C. 7237) the following new 
section:

``SEC. 138. ALTERNATIVE LOAN RATES UNDER FLEXIBLE FALLOW PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definition of Total Planted Acreage.--In this section, the 
term `total planted acreage' means the cropland acreage of a producer 
that for the 1999 crop year was--
            ``(1) planted to a loan commodity;
            ``(2) prevented from being planted to a loan commodity; or
            ``(3) fallow as part of a fallow rotation practice with 
        respect to a loan commodity, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Election To Participate.--In lieu of receiving a loan rate 
under section 132 with respect to production eligible for a loan under 
section 131, a producer may elect to participate in a flexible fallow 
program for any of the 2001 or 2002 crops under which annually--
            ``(1) the producer determines which acres of the total 
        planted acreage are assigned to a specific loan commodity;
            ``(2) the producer determines--
                    ``(A) the projected percentage reduction rate of 
                production of the specific loan commodity based on the 
                acreage assigned to the loan commodity under paragraph 
                (1); and
                    ``(B) the acreage of the total planted acreage of 
                the producer to be set aside under subparagraph (A), 
                regardless of whether the acreage is on the same farm 
                as the acreage planted to the specific loan commodity;
            ``(3) based on the projected percentage reduction rate of 
        production as a result of the acreage set aside under paragraph 
        (2), the producer receives the loan rate for each loan 
        commodity produced by the producer, as determined under 
        subsection (c); and
            ``(4) the acreage planted to loan commodities for harvest 
        and set aside under this section is limited to the total 
        planted acreage of the producer.
    ``(c) Loan Rates Under Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), in 
        the case of a producer of a loan commodity that elects to 
        participate in the flexible fallow program under this section, 
        the loan rate for a marketing assistance loan under section 131 
        for a crop of the loan commodity shall be based on the 
        projected percentage reduction rate of production determined by 
        the producer under subsection (b)(2), in accordance with the 
        following table:
      

 
 
        ``Projected      Corn Loan      Wheat Loan Rate     Soybean Loan Rate   Upland Cotton   Rice Loan Rate
         Percentage       Rate          ($/bushel)          ($/bushel)           Loan Rate      ($/
         Reduction Rate  ($/bushel)                                             ($/pound)        hundredweight)
 
          0%             1.89           2.75                4.72                 0.5192         6.50
 
          1%             1.91           2.78                4.77                 0.5268         6.60
 
          2%             1.93           2.81                4.81                 0.5344         6.70
 
          3%             1.95           2.83                4.86                 0.5420         6.80
 
          4%             1.97           2.86                4.91                 0.5496         6.90
 
          5%             1.99           2.89                4.96                 0.5572         7.00
 
          6%             2.01           2.92                5.01                 0.5648         7.10
 
          7%             2.03           2.95                5.06                 0.5724         7.20
 
          8%             2.05           2.98                5.11                 0.5800         7.30
 
          9%             2.07           3.01                5.16                 0.5876         7.40
 
          10%            2.09           3.04                5.21                 0.5952         7.50
 
          11%            2.12           3.08                5.29                 0.6028         7.60
 
          12%            2.15           3.13                5.36                 0.6104         7.70
 
          13%            2.18           3.17                5.43                 0.6180         7.80
 
          14%            2.21           3.22                5.51                 0.6256         7.90
 
          15%            2.24           3.27                5.58                 0.6332         8.00
 
          16%            2.28           3.31                5.65                 0.6408         8.10
 
          17%            2.31           3.36                5.73                 0.6484         8.20
 
          18%            2.34           3.41                5.81                 0.6560         8.30
 
          19%            2.37           3.46                5.88                 0.6636         8.40
 
          20%            2.41           3.51                5.96                 0.6712         8.50
 
          21%            2.44           3.55                6.04                 0.6788         8.60
 
          22%            2.47           3.60                6.12                 0.6864         8.70
 
          23%            2.51           3.65                6.19                 0.6940         8.80
 
          24%            2.54           3.70                6.27                 0.7016         8.90
 
          25%            2.57           3.75                6.35                 0.7092         9.00
 
          26%            2.61           3.80                6.43                 0.7168         9.10
 
          27%            2.64           3.85                6.51                 0.7244         9.20
 
          28%            2.68           3.90                6.60                 0.7320         9.30
 
          29%            2.71           3.95                6.68                 0.7396         9.40
 
          30%            2.75           4.01                6.76                 0.7472         9.50.
 

            ``(2) County average yields.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The loan rate for a marketing 
                assistance loan made to a producer for a crop of a loan 
                commodity under paragraph (1) shall apply with respect 
                to the production of the crop of the loan commodity by 
                the producer in a quantity that does not exceed the 
                historical county average yield for the loan commodity 
                established by the National Agricultural Statistics 
                Service, adjusted for long-term yield trends.
                    ``(B) Excess production.--The loan rate for a 
                marketing assistance loan made to a producer for a crop 
                of a loan commodity under paragraph (1) with respect to 
                the production of the crop of the loan commodity in 
                excess of the historical county average yield for the 
                loan commodity described in subparagraph (A) shall be 
                equal to the loan rate established for a 0% projected 
                percentage reduction rate for the loan commodity under 
                paragraph (1).
                    ``(C) Disasters.--
                            ``(i) In general.--If the production of a 
                        crop of a loan commodity by a producer is less 
                        than the historical county average yield for 
                        the loan commodity described in subparagraph 
                        (A) as a result of damaging weather, an 
                        insurable peril, or related condition, the 
                        producer may receive a payment on the lost 
production that shall equal the difference between--
                                    ``(I) the maximum quantity of loan 
                                commodity that could have been 
                                designated for the loan rate authorized 
                                under this section for the producer; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) the quantity of loan 
                                commodity the producer was able to 
                                produce and commercially market.
                            ``(ii) Calculation of payment.--The payment 
                        described in clause (i) shall be equal to the 
                        loan deficiency payment the producer could have 
                        received on the lost production on any date, 
                        selected by the producer, on which a loan 
                        deficiency payment was available for that crop 
                        of the loan commodity.
            ``(3) Other loan commodities.--In the case of a producer of 
        a loan commodity not covered by paragraphs (1) and (2) that 
        elects to participate in the flexible fallow program under this 
        section, the loan rate for a marketing assistance loan under 
        section 131 for the crop of the loan commodity shall be based 
        on--
                    ``(A) in the case of grain sorghum, barley, and 
                oats, such level as the Secretary determines is fair 
                and reasonable in relation to the rate that loans are 
                made available for corn, taking into consideration the 
                feeding value of the commodity in relation to corn;
                    ``(B) in the case of extra long staple cotton, such 
                level as the Secretary determines is fair and 
                reasonable; and
                    ``(C) in the case of oilseeds other than soybeans, 
                such level as the Secretary determines is fair and 
                reasonable in relation to the loan rate available for 
                soybeans, except that the rate for the oilseeds (other 
                than cottonseed) shall not be less than the rate 
                established for soybeans on a per-pound basis for the 
                same crop.
    ``(d) Conservation Use of Set-Aside Acreage.--To be eligible for a 
loan rate under this section, a producer shall devote all of the 
acreage set aside under this section to a conservation use approved by 
the Secretary and manage the set-aside acreage using management 
practices designed to enhance soil conservation and wildlife habitat. 
The Secretary shall prescribe the approved management practices for a 
county in consultation with the relevant State technical committee.
            ``(1) Limited Grazing.--The Secretary may permit limited 
        grazing on the set-aside acreage when the grazing is incidental 
        to the gleaning of crop residues on adjacent fields.
    ``(e) Certification.--To be eligible to participate in the flexible 
fallow program for the 2001 or 2002 crops, a producer shall certify to 
the Secretary (by farm serial number) the total planted acreage 
assigned, planted, and set aside with respect to each loan 
commodity.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Loan rate adjustments.--Section 132 of the Agricultural 
        Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7232) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by striking ``$2.58'' 
                and inserting ``$2.75''; and
                    (B) in subsection (f)(1), by striking subparagraph 
                (B) and inserting the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) not more than $4.72 per bushel.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection 
        shall apply beginning with the 2001 crop of a loan commodity 
        (as defined in section 102 of the Agricultural Market 
        Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7202)).
                                 <all>