[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4479 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4479

 To authorize the Small Business Administration and the Department of 
   Agriculture to assist farmers and ranchers seeking to develop and 
  implement agricultural innovation plans in order to increase their 
profitability in ways that also provide environmental benefits, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2002

Mr. Udall of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Small Business, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Small Business Administration and the Department of 
   Agriculture to assist farmers and ranchers seeking to develop and 
  implement agricultural innovation plans in order to increase their 
profitability in ways that also provide environmental benefits, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Family Farm and Ranch Innovation Act 
of 2002''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Farming, ranching, and other businesses related to 
        agriculture form a significant portion of the economy of the 
        United States.
            (2) In 2000, 86 percent of the 1,500,000 agricultural 
        workers in the United States were self-employed farmers and 
        ranchers.
            (3) From 1910 to 1990, the share of the agricultural 
        economy received by farmers and ranchers dropped from 21 
        percent to 5 percent, as processing, packaging, and marketing 
        became more profitable than producing raw agricultural 
        commodities.
            (4) The trend toward a global processing and distribution 
        system for agricultural products is producing a system in which 
        the majority of food and fiber products are controlled by a few 
        large, vertically integrated firms.
            (5) Low market prices for raw agricultural commodities and 
        the rising cost of land are causing many small farms and 
        ranches to fail, which is resulting in the urbanization of 
        valuable farm and ranch lands.
            (6) Small farms and ranches need to employ efficient means 
        of production, including methods to minimize the production of 
        pollutants, and engage in practices which add value to the raw 
        commodities they produce in order to improve profitability and 
        remain competitive.
            (7) Small farms and ranches need technical and financial 
        assistance to achieve these goals.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to assist farmers and 
ranchers in increasing their incomes while reducing pollution, 
conserving natural resources, and increasing the likelihood that 
agricultural land will remain available for farming and ranching.

SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS LOANS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL 
              INNOVATION PLANS.

    (a) Loan Authority.--The Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration may guarantee, under section 7(a) of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)), loans to any small business concern (as 
described in section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a))) 
engaged in farming or ranching, for the purpose of implementing an 
Agricultural Innovation Plan described in subsection (c).
    (b) Development of Agricultural Innovation Plan.--On request of a 
farmer or rancher whose farming or ranching operation has been 
certified as a small business concern under subsection (d), the 
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, shall work with the farmer or rancher to develop 
an Agricultural Innovation Plan described in subsection (c).
    (c) Contents of Agricultural Innovation Plan.--An Agricultural 
Innovation Plan is a plan to--
            (1) increase the on-farm or on-ranch income of the farmer 
        or rancher by--
                    (A) improving farm or ranch management practices;
                    (B) diversifying crops or livestock;
                    (C) using direct marketing of agricultural 
                products;
                    (D) implementing value-added initiatives;
                    (E) stimulating agri-tourism;
                    (F) capitalizing on the natural resources of the 
                farm or ranch; or
                    (G) using any other means that the Secretary of 
                Agriculture determines would improve the efficiency and 
                profitability of the farming or ranching operation; and
            (2) protect the environmental quality of the farm or ranch 
        where the farming or ranching operation is located by 
        minimizing the production of pollutants by the farm or ranch 
        and conserving the natural resources of the farm or ranch.
    (d) Certification as Small Business Concern.--On request of any 
business concern engaged in farming or ranching, the Administrator of 
the Small Business Administration may issue a certification that the 
business concern is a small business concern for purposes of subsection 
(b). Such request shall be submitted to the Administrator in such form 
and manner as the Administrator may require.
                                 <all>