[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4170 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4170

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to modify provisions relating to 
   base acres, loan rates, and textile mills, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 18, 2024

  Mr. Warnock introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to modify provisions relating to 
   base acres, loan rates, and textile mills, 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 ``Southern Commodities, Rates, 
Opportunities, Production, and Support Act'' or the ``Southern CROPS 
Act''.

SEC. 2. BASE ACRES.

    Section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9012) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (d) as 
        subsections (c) through (e), respectively;
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Base Acre Increase for Underserved Farmers of Covered 
Commodities.--
            ``(1) Definition of underserved farmer of covered 
        commodities.--In this subsection, the term `underserved farmer 
        of covered commodities' means an underserved producer (as 
        defined in section 508(a)(7)(A) of the Federal Crop Insurance 
        Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(7)(A))) or a limited resource or 
        economically distressed farmer (as determined by the Secretary) 
        of 1 or more covered commodities.
            ``(2) Opportunity to increase base acres.--As soon as 
        practicable after the date of enactment of the Southern CROPS 
        Act, the Secretary shall provide a 1-time opportunity for an 
        underserved farmer of covered commodities to increase base 
        acres on a farm if--
                    ``(A) the underserved farmer of covered 
                commodities--
                            ``(i) is an operator on the farm and 
                        provides a significant contribution of active 
                        personal labor on the farm; or
                            ``(ii) has, or has an option to obtain, a 
                        significant ownership share of the farm or a 
                        business producing covered commodities on the 
                        farm, as determined by the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) the average number of acres on the farm 
                planted or prevented from planting as described in 
                subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, of paragraph 
                (3)(A)(i) to covered commodities during the 2018 
                through 2022 crop years is greater than the number of 
                base acres on the farm.
            ``(3) Base acre increase.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                number of base acres added to a farm under paragraph 
                (2) shall be equal to the difference between--
                            ``(i) the sum obtained by adding--
                                    ``(I) the 5-year average of the 
                                acreage planted on the farm to all 
                                covered commodities for harvest, 
                                grazing, haying, sileage, or other 
                                similar purposes for the 2018 through 
                                2022 crop years, according to records 
                                submitted to the Farm Service Agency or 
                                the Risk Management Agency; and
                                    ``(II) the 5-year average of any 
                                acreage on the farm that was prevented 
                                from planting to 1 or more covered 
                                commodities during the 2018 through 
                                2022 crop years because of drought, 
                                flood, or other natural disaster, or 
                                other condition beyond the control of 
                                the producers, according to records 
                                submitted to the Farm Service Agency or 
                                the Risk Management Agency; and
                            ``(ii) the number of base acres for covered 
                        commodities on the farm.
                    ``(B) Limitations.--
                            ``(i) Maximum.--Not more than 160 base 
                        acres shall be added to any farm under 
                        paragraph (2).
                            ``(ii) Prohibition on reconstitution of 
                        farm.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
                        producers on a farm do not reconstitute the 
                        farm for the purpose of increasing the number 
                        of cumulative acres added to the farm under 
                        paragraph (2).
                    ``(C) Distribution.--Base acres added to a farm 
                under paragraph (2) shall be added to the base acreage 
                of each covered commodity on the farm in the proportion 
                that--
                            ``(i) the acreage planted or prevented from 
                        planting to the covered commodity on the farm; 
                        bears to
                            ``(ii) the acreage planted or prevented 
                        from planting to all covered commodities on the 
                        farm.
            ``(4) Reduction of base acres.--If an underserved farmer of 
        covered commodities on a farm for which base acres have been 
        increased under paragraph (2) does not own or operate the farm 
        for any of the 2025 through 2029 crop years, the Secretary 
        shall reduce the number of base acres on the farm by the number 
        of base acres added to the farm under paragraph (2) for that 
        crop year, in the same proportion among covered commodities on 
        the farm described in paragraph (3)(C).''; and
            (3) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), in paragraph 
        (2)(C), by striking ``(b)(1)(C)'' and inserting ``(c)(1)(C)''.

SEC. 3. LOAN RATES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1202 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 
U.S.C. 9032) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``2023'' 
                and inserting ``2024''; and
                    (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``2023'' and inserting ``2024'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) 2025 and Subsequent Crop Years.--Beginning with the 2025 crop 
year, the Secretary shall establish a loan rate for a marketing 
assistance loan under section 1201 for a loan commodity equal to the 
lesser of--
            ``(1) an amount equal to 110 percent of the loan rate for 
        the loan commodity described in subsection (b); and
            ``(2) an amount equal to the greater of--
                    ``(A) the loan rate for the loan commodity 
                described in subsection (b); and
                    ``(B) the sum obtained by adding--
                            ``(i) the loan rate for the loan commodity 
                        described in subsection (b); and
                            ``(ii) the product obtained by 
                        multiplying--
                                    ``(I) the loan rate for the loan 
                                commodity described in subsection (b); 
                                and
                                    ``(II) using data calculated and 
                                published by the Economic Research 
                                Service, the quotient obtained by 
                                dividing--
                                            ``(aa) the difference 
                                        between--

                                                    ``(AA) the 
                                                forecasted crop input 
                                                expenses (including 
                                                interest, labor, 
                                                property taxes, seed, 
                                                fertilizer and lime, 
                                                fuel, oil, electricity, 
                                                pesticides, and net 
                                                rent to landowners) for 
                                                the applicable crop 
                                                year; and

                                                    ``(BB) the average 
                                                of the crop input 
                                                expenses for the 5-year 
                                                period immediately 
                                                preceding the 
                                                applicable crop year; 
                                                by

                                            ``(bb) the average of the 
                                        crop input expenses described 
                                        in item (aa)(AA) for the 5-year 
                                        period immediately preceding 
                                        the applicable crop year.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1204(h)(1) of the Agricultural 
Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9034(h)(1)) is amended by striking ``(a)(20) or 
(b)(20),'' and inserting ``(a)(20), (b)(20), or (c),''.

SEC. 4. TEXTILE MILLS.

    Section 1207(c)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 
9037(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Effective beginning on August 1, 2013,'' 
        and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) August 2013 through july 2025.--Effective 
                during the period beginning on August 1, 2013, and 
                ending on July 31, 2025,''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Beginning august 2025.--Effective beginning 
                on August 1, 2025, the value of the assistance provided 
                under paragraph (1) shall be 4 cents per pound.''.
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