I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5205
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
SEPTEMBER 19, 2000
Mr. BEREUTER (for himself and Mr. MINGE) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Market Transition Act to estab-
lish 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 remain-
ing acreage of the producer.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FLEXIBLE FALLOW PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Agricultural Market Transi-
tion 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 1999 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 receiv-
ing a loan rate under section 132 with respect to produc-
tion 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 com-
modity based on the acreage assigned to the
loan commodity under paragraph (1); and
‘‘(B) the acreage of the total planted acre-
age of the producer to be set aside under sub-
paragraph (A), regardless of whether the acre-
age is on the same farm as the acreage planted
to the specific loan commodity;
‘‘(3) based on the projected percentage reduc-
tion 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 lim-
ited 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 com-
modity that elects to participate in the flexible fallow
program under this section, the loan rate for a mar-
keting assistance loan under section 131 for a crop
of the loan commodity shall be based on the pro-
jected percentage reduction rate of production deter-
mined by the producer under subsection (b)(2), in
accordance with the following table:
‘‘Pro-
jected
Per-
centage
Reduc-
tion
Rate
Corn
Loan
Rate
($/bush-
el)
Wheat Loan
Rate
($/bushel)
Soybean
Loan Rate
($/bushel)
Upland
Cotton
Loan
Rate
($/pound)
Rice Loan
Rate
($/hun-
dred-
weight)
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 para-
graph (1) shall apply with respect to the pro-