I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4988 
To establish nonrecourse conservation assistance loans for loan commodities 
produced on certain farms, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 
Mrs. BUSTOS (for herself and Mr. BOST) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To establish nonrecourse conservation assistance loans for 
loan commodities produced on certain farms, and for 
other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Conservation Assist-
ance Loan Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF NONRECOURSE CONSERVATION 
ASSISTANCE LOANS FOR LOAN COMMOD-
ITIES. 
(a) NONRECOURSE LOANS AVAILABLE.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—For each of the 2018 
through 2022 crops of each loan commodity, the 
Secretary shall make available to qualified producers 
on a farm nonrecourse conservation assistance loans 
for loan commodities produced on the farm. 
(2) QUALIFIED
PRODUCER.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘qualified producer’’ means a producer eli-
gible for a nonrecourse marketing loan under section 
1201 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 
9031) that agrees to not apply for such loan for 
each of the 2018 through 2022 crops described in 
paragraph (1). 
(b) ELIGIBLE PRODUCTION.—The producers on a 
farm shall be eligible for a conservation assistance loan 
under subsection (a) for any quantity of a loan commodity 
produced on the farm. 
(c) LOAN RATES FOR NONRECOURSE CONSERVATION 
ASSISTANCE LOANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
for purposes of each of the 2018 through 2022 crop 
years, the loan rate for a conservation assistance 
loan under this section for a loan commodity shall 
be— 
(A) for beginning farmers and ranchers (as 
determined by the Secretary), 75 percent of the 
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national average price received by producers 
during the 12-month marketing year for the 
loan commodity for the most recent 5 crop 
years, excluding— 
(i) the crop year with the highest 
price; and 
(ii) the crop year with the lowest 
price; and 
(B) for producers not described in para-
graph (1), 60 percent of the national average 
price received by producers during the 12- 
month marketing year for the loan commodity 
for the most recent 5 crop years, excluding— 
(i) the crop year with the highest 
price; and 
(ii) the crop year with the lowest 
price. 
(2) SPECIAL RULE FOR COVER CROPS.—In the 
case of a producer who agrees to plant a cover crop 
on acres associated with the loan commodity, the ap-
plicable loan rate under paragraph (1) shall be in-
creased by an amount equal to $0.20 per bushel. 
(d) TERMS OF LOANS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In the case of each loan 
commodity, a conservation loan under this section 
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shall have a term of 9 months beginning on the first 
day of the first month after the month in which the 
loan is made. 
(2) EXTENSIONS PROHIBITED.—The Secretary 
may not extend the term of a conservation assist-
ance loan for any loan commodity. 
(e) REPAYMENT OF LOANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall permit 
the producers on a farm to repay a conservation as-
sistance loan under this section for a loan com-
modity at a rate that is the lesser of the following: 
(A) The loan rate established under sub-
section (c). 
(B) A rate that is equal to the expected 
market price for the loan commodity as cal-
culated for crop insurance, as determined by 
the Secretary. 
(C) Such other rate the Secretary deter-
mines will avoid or minimize potential loan for-
feitures. 
(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary shall make 
all adjustments that the Secretary determines nec-
essary to— 
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(A) avoid forfeiture or the accumulation of 
stocks of the commodities placed under a loan 
under this section; 
(B) minimize the costs incurred by the 
Federal Government; 
(C) allow the commodity produced to be 
marketed freely and competitively, both domes-
tically and internationally; 
(D) minimize discrepancies in conservation 
loan benefits across State boundaries and 
across country boundaries; and 
(E) in the case of a producer who is pre-
vented from planting a commercial crop due to 
weather or other natural events that interfered 
with cover crop determined (as determined by 
the Secretary), the Secretary may forgive the 
portion of the loan calculated under subsection 
(c)(2). 
(f) COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of 
the receipt of a conservation assistance loan under this 
section, the producer shall during the crop year of the 
loan— 
(1) comply with applicable conservation require-
ments under subtitle B of title XII of the Food Se-
curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3811 et seq.) and ap-
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