Feeding America through Farm Flexibility Act of 2017'

Bill: 115-hr-3433
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
Introduced: 2017-07-26
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit

Fruit and vegetables

Nutrition and diet
Latest action: action_date: 2017-09-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-07-26
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Feeding America through Farm Flexibility Act of 201</b><b>7</b> </p> <p>This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to increase the number of acres on which agricultural producers are authorized to grow fruits and vegetables without a resulting reduction in the payment acres used to calculate price loss coverage and agriculture risk coverage payments.</p> <p>The increases are permitted if the crops on the additional acres are grown for sale or donation in a food desert, which is a census tract that: (1) has a poverty rate of at least 20%, and (2) provides difficult access to a retail outlet that provides a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. </p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3433 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 26, 2017 Ms. Kelly of Illinois (for herself and Mr. Bost ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to increase the number of base acres upon which agricultural producers are authorized to grow fruits and vegetables without a resulting reduction in payment acres on their farm when the resulting produce is used to help alleviate a food desert, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Feeding America through Farm Flexibility Act of 2017 . 2. Producer discretion to plant additional fruits and vegetables on base acres without a resulting reduction in payment acres Section 1114(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 7 U.S.C. 9014(e) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (5) Producer discretion to plant additional fruits and vegetables to alleviate food deserts (A) Additional planting authority; purpose The percentages specified in paragraphs (2) and (3) are increased by an additional five percent of base acres, to 20 percent and 40 percent respectively, if the crops referred to in paragraph (1) grown on the additional base acres are grown solely for sale or donation, directly or indirectly by the producer and with or without processing, in a food desert. (B) Food desert defined In this paragraph, the term food desert means a census tract that, as determined by the Secretary— (i) has a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater; and (ii) provides difficult access to a retail outlet that provides a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. .