[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 32
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
January 3, 2001
Mr. Bereuter (for himself and Mr. Schaffer) 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 2001''.
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 2000 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)).
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