Fruit and Vegetable Planting Flexibility Act of 2017

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require base acres planted to fruits, vegetables, and wild rice to be considered planted to a covered commodity for purposes of any recalculation of base acres. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fruit and Vegetable Planting Flexibility Act of 2017 2. Effect of planting fruits and vegetables Section 1114 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 7 U.S.C. 9014 (e) Effect of planting fruits and vegetables (1) Reduction required In the manner provided in this subsection, payment acres on a farm shall be reduced in any crop year in which fruits, vegetables (other than mung beans and pulse crops), or wild rice have been planted on base acres on a farm. (2) Price loss coverage and county coverage In the case of price loss coverage payments and agricultural risk coverage payments using county coverage, the reduction under paragraph (1) shall be the amount equal to the base acres planted to crops referred to in that paragraph in excess of 15 percent of base acres. (3) Individual coverage In the case of agricultural risk coverage payments using individual coverage, the reduction under paragraph (1) shall be the amount equal to the base acres planted to crops referred to in that paragraph in excess of 35 percent of base acres. (4) Reduction exceptions No reduction to payment acres shall be made under this subsection if— (A) cover crops or crops described in paragraph (1) are grown solely for conservation purposes and not harvested for use or sale, as determined by the Secretary; or (B) in any region in which there is a history of double-cropping covered commodities with crops described in paragraph (1), those crops were so double-cropped on the base acres, as determined by the Secretary. (5) Recalculation of base acres (A) In general For each crop year for which fruits, vegetables (other than mung beans and pulse crops), or wild rice are planted to base acres on a farm for which a reduction in payment acres is made under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider those base acres to be planted or prevented from planting to a covered commodity for purposes of any reallocation, adjustment, or reduction of base acres for the farm under section 1112. (B) Prohibition Nothing in this paragraph provides authority to the Secretary to reallocate, adjust, reduce, or otherwise recalculate base acres for a farm. .

Summary: Fruit and Vegetable Planting Flexibility Act of 2017 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to modify the effect that planting fruits, vegetables, or wild rice on a farm has on the acreage eligible for payments under Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodity programs. Under current law, payments acres on a farm must be reduced by specified amounts in any year in which fruits, vegetables (other than mung beans and pulse crops), or wild rice have been planted on base acres on the farm. For each year in which there is a reduction in payment acres on a farm due to the planting of fruits, vegetables, or wild rice on base acres, the bill requires USDA to maintain the commodity program eligibility of those base acres by considering the acres to be planted or prevented from planting to a covered commodity when USDA recalculates the base acres for the farm under the commodity programs.