Topic: Agriculture — General
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2012-07-09 00:00:00

Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2012 - Repeals, but continues for crop year 2012: (1) direct payments, (2) countercyclical payments, and (3) the average crop revenue election program (ACRE). Provides for crop years 2013-2017 either: (1) price loss coverage if a covered commodity's effective price is less than its reference price, or (2) alternative revenue loss coverage, as a permanent one-time election, if a covered commodity's county revenue is less than the county revenue loss coverage trigger. Authorizes: (1) nonrecourse marketing assistance loans, (2) loan deficiency payments, (3) payments in lieu of loan deficiency payments for grazed acreage, (4) programs for upland cotton and extra long staple cotton, (5) assistance for peanuts, (6) recourse loans for high moisture feed grains and seed cotton, and (7) programs for sugar and sugar beets. Establishes a dairy production margin protection program under which participating dairy operations are paid: (1) basic production margin protection program payments when production margins are less than threshold levels, and (2) supplemental production margin protection program payments if purchased by a participating dairy operation. Provides for program retroactivity. Establishes a dairy market stabilization program to assist in balancing the supply of milk with demand when participating dairy operations are experiencing low or negative operating margins. Terminates the production margin protection and stabilization programs on December 31, 2017. Repeals: (1) the dairy products price support program, (2) the milk income loss contract program, and (3) the dairy export incentive program. Extends: (1) the dairy indemnity program, (2) the dairy forward pricing program, and (3) the dairy promotion and research program. Provides assistance for livestock losses caused by: (1) adverse weather or attacks by federally reintroduced animals, including wolves and avian predators; and (2) drought or fire. Provides assistance for: (1) orchardists and nursery tree growers for commercial losses caused by natural disasters; and (2) producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish for losses caused by disease or adverse weather. Suspends permanent price supports for covered commodities, cotton, sugar, and milk through 2017. Revises payment limitation provisions. Extends the conservation reserve program and the farmable wetland program through FY2017. Revises the conservation stewardship program. Extends the environmental quality incentives program through FY2017. Establishes the agricultural conservation easement program for the conservation of eligible land and natural resources through easements or other interests in land. (Combines the purposes and coordinates the functions of the wetlands reserve program, the grassland reserve program, and the farmland protection program.) Establishes a regional conservation partnership program to: (1) accomplish purposes similar to the agricultural water enhancement program, the Chesapeake Bay watershed program, the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and the Great Lakes basin program; (2) further the conservation use of natural resources on a regional or watershed scale; and (3) encourage partners to cooperate with producers in meeting or avoiding the need for regulatory requirements related to production on eligible land and implementing projects that affect multiple agricultural or nonindustrial private forest operations on a local, state, or regional basis. Extends through FY2017: (1) the conservation of private grazing land program, (2) the grass roots source water protection program, (3) the voluntary public access and habitat incentive program, and (4) the small watershed rehabilitation program. Extends through FY2017: (1) the conservation reserve program, (2) the agricultural conservation easement program, (3) the conservation stewardship program, and (4) the environmental quality incentives program. Repeals: (1) the conservation enhancement program, (2) the emergency forestry conservation reserve program, (3) the wetlands reserve program, (4) the farmland protection program, (5) the grassland reserve program, (6) the agricultural water enhancement program, (7) the wildlife habitat incentive program, (8) the Great Lakes Basin program, (9) the Chesapeake Bay watershed program, (10) the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and (11) the environmental easement program. Extends specified programs under the Food for Peace Act and the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 through FY2017. Extends through FY2017: (1) the food for progress program, (2) the Bill Emerson humanitarian trust, (3) the McGovern-Dole international food for education and child nutrition program, and (4) the John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter farmer-to-farmer program. Extends the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) through FY2017. Revises program provisions, including provisions regarding: (1) participant eligibility, (2) retail stores, (3) food assistance security, (4) restaurant meals, (5) services to the elderly and disabled, (6) employment and training programs, and (7) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Extends through FY2017: (1) the food distribution program on Indian reservations, and (2) commodity purchases for emergency food assistance. Extends through FY2017: (1) the commodity distribution program, (2) the commodity supplemental food program, (3) distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects, (4) purchases of fresh fruit and vegetables for schools and service institutions, and (5) the farmers' market nutrition program. Revises provisions regarding: (1) farm ownership and operating loans, (2) conservation loans and loan guarantees, and (3) emergency loans. Extends through FY2017: (1) the beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot program, and (2) state agricultural mediation programs. Extends through FY2017: (1) water, waste disposal, and wastewater facility grants; (2) rural business opportunity grants; (3) emergency and imminent community water assistance grants; (4) grants to nonprofit organizations for water well system servicing for low- and moderate income households; (5) rural cooperative development grants; (6) the rural micro enterprise assistance program; (7) the Delta Regional Authority; (8) the Northern Great Plains Regional Authority; and (9) the rural business investment program. Extends through FY2017: (1) guarantee authority for rural electrification or telephone bonds and notes, (2) expansion of 911 access, and (3) the distance learning and telemedicine program. Extends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board until September 30, 2017. Establishes a veterinary services grant program. Authorizes appropriations for agricultural and food policy research centers. Extends through FY2017: (1) grants and fellowships for food and agricultural sciences education, (2) the nutrition education program, (3) animal heath and disease research programs, (4) grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 land-grant colleges and at land grant colleges in insular areas, (5) grants for Hispanic-serving institutions, (6) grants for international agricultural science and education, (7) assistance for extension, aquaculture, rangeland, and biosecurity programs, (8) policy research centers, (9) assistance for agricultural research, (10) assistance for supplemental and alternative crops, (11) aquaculture assistance programs, (12) rangeland research programs, (13) biosecurity planning Extends through FY2017 programs and assistance under the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977. Repeals: (1) the human nutrition intervention and health promotion research program, (2) appropriations for research on national or regional problems, and (3) research equipment grants. Extends through FY2017: (1) integrated management systems programs, (2) the genetics resource program, (3) agriculture technology development programs, and (4) the assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities. Extends through FY2017: (1) integrated research and extension grants, (2) grants for youth organizations, (3) the specialty crop initiative, and (4) the Office of Pest Management Policy. Repeals: (1) the program to improve the viability of small and medium dairy, livestock, and poultry operations, and (2) Johne's (livestock) disease control program. Extends through FY2017 programs and assistance under: (1) the Critical Agricultural Materials Act, (2) the Research Facilities Act, (3) the Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978, and (4) the National Aquaculture Act of 1980. Revises "1994 Institutions" (Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994) provisions. Extends through FY2017: (1) the Office of Pest Management Policy, (2) the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, (3) the agricultural biosecurity grant program, and (4) the natural products research program. Repeals: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture's (USDA) authority with respect to the National Swine Research Center, (2) the carbon cycle research program, (3) antibiotic-resistant bacteria research grant program, (4) the farm and ranch stress assistance network, (5) the seed distribution program, and (6) the rural transportation research program. Extends coverage under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Revises specified budget and funding provisions under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Conveys the land comprising the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami-Dade County, Florida, to Miami-Dade County. Repeals: (1) the forest land enhancement program, (2) the watershed forestry assistance program, (3) the Hispanic-serving institution agricultural land leadership program, and (4) the tribal watershed forestry assistance program. Extends through FY2017: (1) the forest legacy program, (2) the community forest and open space conservation program, (3) rural revitalization technologies, and (4) the Office of International Forestry. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with state forestry agencies to provide forestry and watershed services on National Forestry System land. Directs the Secretary to revise the forest inventory strategic plan. Extends through FY2017: (1) the biobased marketing program, (2) biorefinery assistance, (3) the bioenergy program for advanced biofuels, (4) the biodiesel fuel education program, (5) the rural energy for America program, (6) biomass research and development, (7) the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers, (8) the biomass crop assistance program, and (9) the community wood energy program. Repeals the program encouraging biorefineries to replace fossil fuel operating systems with renewable biomass systems. Extends through FY2017: (1) the specialty crop market news program, (2) the farmers market and local food promotion program, (3) organic production and market initiatives, (4) food safety initiatives, and (5) specialty crop block grants. Repeals the specialty crop movement-to-market program. Amends federal crop insurance provisions regarding: (1) a supplemental crop insurance coverage option, (2) catastrophic risk protection premiums, (3) performance-based discounts, (4) enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated crops, (5) stacked income protection for upland cotton producers, (6) specialty crop producers, (7) coverage levels, (8) beginning farmers and ranchers, (9) crop protection on native sod, (10) revenue crop insurance for peanuts, (11) research and development, (12) pilot programs, (13) noninsured crop assistance, and (14) administrative provisions. Extends through FY2017: (1) outreach and assistance for socially disadvantaged or veteran farmers and ranchers, and (2) grants to improve agricultural labor force supply, stability, safety, and training. Extends through FY2017: (1) the national aquatic animal health plan, (2) the trichinae certification program, and (3) the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.