[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1610 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1610

 To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to authorize 
producers on a farm to produce fruits and vegetables for processing on 
                      the base acres of the farm.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2013

 Mr. Ribble (for himself, Mr. Walz, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Rokita, Mr. Petri, 
and Mr. Duffy) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to authorize 
producers on a farm to produce fruits and vegetables for processing on 
                      the base acres of the farm.

    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 ``Farming Flexibility Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. PRODUCTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING ON COVERED 
              COMMODITY BASE ACRES.

    (a) Mung Beans and Pulse Crops.--Section 1107(b)(3)(B) of the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8717(b)(3)(B)) is 
amended by striking ``(other than mung beans and pulse crops)''.
    (b) Authority for Production of Fruits and Vegetables for 
Processing.--Section 1107(d) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8717(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Authority for Production of Fruits and Vegetables for 
Processing.--
            ``(1) Planting authorized.--Beginning with the 2014 crop 
        year, notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) 
        and in addition to the exceptions provided in subsection (c), 
        producers on a farm may reduce the base acres for any covered 
        commodity for the farm for a crop year by one acre for each 
        acre used for the planting and production of fruits or 
        vegetables (other than potatoes) for processing.
            ``(2) Contract and management requirements.--Producers on a 
        farm shall--
                    ``(A) demonstrate to the Secretary that the 
                producers on the farm have entered into a contract to 
                produce fruits and vegetables (other than potatoes) for 
                processing;
                    ``(B) agree to produce fruits and vegetables (other 
                than potatoes) as part of a program of crop rotation on 
                the farm to achieve agronomic and pest and disease 
                management benefits; and
                    ``(C) provide evidence of the disposition of the 
                fruits or vegetables (other than potatoes).
            ``(3) Reversion to covered commodity base acres.--Each acre 
        of a farm devoted to the planting and production of fruits or 
        vegetables under paragraph (1) shall be included in the base 
        acres for the covered commodity for the subsequent crop year, 
        unless the producers on the farm make the election described in 
        paragraph (1) for the subsequent crop year.
            ``(4) Recalculation of base acres.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), if 
                the Secretary recalculates the base acres for a farm, 
                the planting of fruits and vegetables under paragraph 
                (1) shall be considered to be the same as the planting, 
                prevented planting, or production of a covered 
                commodity.
                    ``(B) Prohibition.--Nothing in this paragraph 
                provides authority for the Secretary to recalculate 
                base acres for a farm.''.
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