An Act to provide emergency assistance to producers of wheat, feed grains, and upland cotton, and for other purposes.
PL 95-279 (H.R.6782), enacted 05/15/1978

92 STAT. 240 
PUBLIC LAW 95-279—MAY 15, 1978 
Public Law 95-279 
95th Congress 
An Act 
May 15, 1978 
[H.R. 6782] 
Wheat, feed 
grains, and 
upland cotton, 
emergency 
assistance. 
7 use 1309. 
7 use 1444. 
To provide emergency assistance to producers of wheat, feed grains, and upland 
cotton, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress 
assembled, 
T I T L E I — P R I C E S U P P O R T F O R P R O D U C E R S O F W H E A T , 
F E E D GRAINS, AND U P L A N D COTTON 
SEC, 101. Section 1001 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 is 
amended by inserting " ( a ) " after the section designation and adding 
a new subsection (b) as follows: 
"(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever a set-
aside is in effect for one or more of the 1978 through 1981 crops of 
wheat, feed grains, and upland cotton, the Secretary may increase the 
established price for any such commodity by the amount the Secretary 
determines appropriate to compensate producers for participation in 
such set-aside. In determining the amount of any such increase, the 
Secretary shall take into account changes in the cost of production 
resulting from participation in the set-aside involved. If the estab-
lished price is increased for any commodity for which a set-aside is 
in effect, the Secretary may increase the established price for any 
other commodity in such amount as the Secretary determines neces-
sary for effective operation of the program. The Secretary shall adjust 
any increase in the established price to reflect, in whole or in part, any 
land diversion payments for the crop for which an increase is 
determined.". 
SEC. 102. Effective only with respect to the 1978 through 1981 crops 
of upland cotton, section 103(f) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 is 
amended by striking out the first sentence of paragraph (1) and 
inserting in lieu thereof the following: "The Secretary shall, upon 
presentation of warehouse receipts reflecting accrued storage charges 
of not more than sixty days, make available for the 1978 through 1981 
crops of upland cotton to cooperators nonrecourse loans for a term of 
ten months from the first day of the month in which the loan is made 
at such level as will reflect for Strict Low Middling one and one-
sixteenth inch upland cotton (micronaire 3.5 through 4.9) at average 
location in the United States the smaller of (i) 85 percent of the 
average price (weighted by market and month) of such quality of 
cotton as quoted in the designated United States spot markets during 
tliree years of the five-year period ending July 31 in the year in which 
the loan level is announced, excluding the year in which the average 
price was the highest and the year in which the average price was the 
lowest in such period, or (ii) 90 percent of the average, for the fifteen-
week period beginning July 1 of the year in which the loan level is 
announced, of the five lowest priced growths of the growths quoted for 
Strict Middling one and one-sixteenth inch cotton C.I.F. Northern 
Europe (adjusted downward by the average difference during the 
period April 15 through October 15 of the year in which the loan is 
PUBLIC LAW 95-279--MAY 15, 1978 
92 STAT. 241 
announced between such average Northern Europe price quotation 
of such quality of cotton and the market quotations in the designated 
United States spot markets for Strict Low Middling one and one-
sixteenth inch cotton (micronaire 3.5 through 4.9)) : Provided^ 
That 
in no event shall such loan level be less than 48 cents per pound. If 
for any crop the average Northern Europe price determined under 
clause (ii) of the first sentence of this paragraph is less than the 
average United States spot market price determined under clause (i) 
of the first sentence of this paragraph, the Secretary may, notwith-
standing the foregoing provisions of this par-agraph, increase the loan 
level to such level as the Secretary may deem appropriate, not in excess 
of the average United States spot market price determined under 
clause (i) of the first sentence of this paragraph.". 
SEC. 103. Sections 101 and 102 of this title shall become effective 
October 1, 1978, and any producers who, prior to such date, receive 
loans and payments on the 1978 crop of the commodity as computed 
under the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended by the Food and 
Agriculture Act of 1977, may elect after September 30,1978, to receive 
loans and payments as computed under this title. 
Effective date. 
7 use 1309 note. 
7 use 1421 note. 
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note. 
T I T L E I I — A G R I C U L T U R A L C O M M O D I T I E S 
U T I L I Z A T I O N PROGRAM 
SEC. 201. Title I of the Agricultural Act of 1949 is amended by 
addinsf at the end thereof a new section 112 as follows: 
u 
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES UTILIZATION PROGRAM 
"SEC. 112. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act— 
"(a) The Secretary may permit, subject to such terms and condi-
tions as the Secretary may prescribe, all or any part of the acreage set 
aside or diverted from the production of a commodity for any crop year 
under this title to be devoted to the production of any commodity 
(other than the commodities for which acreage is being set aside or 
diverted) for conversion into industrial hydrocarbons and blending 
with gasoline or other fossil fuels for use as motor or industrial fuel, 
if the Secretary determines that such production is desirable in oi-der 
to provide an adequate supply of commodities for such purpose, is 
not likely to increase the cost of the price support programs, and will 
not adversely affect farm income. 
"(b) (1) IDuring any year in which there is no set-aside or diversion 
of acreage under this title, the Secretary may formulate and admin-
ister a program for the production, subject to such terms and condi-
tions as the Secretary may prescribe, of commodities for conversion 
7 use 1445g. 
92 STAT. 242 
PUBLIC LAW 95-279—MAY 15, 1978 
Regulations. 
Effective date. 
into industrial hydrocarbons and blending with gasoline or other fos-
sil fuels for use as motor or industrial fuel, if the Secretary determines 
that such production is desirable in order to provide an adequate supply 
of commodities for such purpose, is not likely to increase the cost of 
the price support programs, and will not adversely affect farm income. 
Under the program, producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, 
and rice shall be paid incentive payments to devote a portion of their 
acreage to the production of commodities for conversion into indus-
trial hydrocarbons and blending with gasoline or other fossil fuels 
for use as motor or industrial fuel. 
"(2) The payments under this subsection shall be at such rate or 
rates as the Secretary determines to be fair and reasonable, taking 
into consideration the participation necessary to ensure an adequate 
supply of the agricultural commodities for conversion into industrial 
hydrocarbons and blending with gasoline or other fossil fuels for 
use as motor or industrial fuels. 
"(3) The Secretary may issue such regulations as the Secretary 
deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection. 
"(4) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection. 
"(5) The provisions of this subsection shall become effective 
October 1,1978.". 
TITLE III—INCREASE IN THE J^ORROWINCx AUTHORITY 
OF THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION 
15 use 714b 
note. 
Effective date. 
15 use 713a-4 
note. 
SEC. 301. (a) Section 4(i) of the Commodity Credit Corporation 
Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714b(i)) is amended by striking out 
"$14,500,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof "$25,000,000,000". 
(b) Section 4 of the Act of March 8, 1938 (15 U.S.C. 713a-4), is 
amended by striking out "$14,500,000,000" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "$25,000,000,000". 
(c) The increase in the borrowing authority of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation made by this section shall be effective only to the 
extent provided in appropriation Acts. 
(d) The provisions of this section shall become effective October 1, 
1978. 
TITLE IV—RAISIN MARKETING ORDERS 
7 use 608c. 
SEC. 401. (aj Effective October 1, 1978, section 8c(6) (I) of the 
Agricultural Adjustment Act, as reenacted and amended by the 
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, is amended by— 
(1) inserting "raisins," after "apples,"; and 
(2) inserting ", raisins," after "with respect to almonds". 
PUBLIC LAW 95-279—MAY 15, 1978 
92 STAT. 243 
(b) Within a period of sixty days following the second anniversai-y Report to 
of the implementation of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture Congress, 
shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Repre- ^ USC 608c note, 
sentatives and to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate a report that shall describe in detail how this 
section has been implemented including, but not limited to, informa-
tion as to the issuance or amendment of any affected order, the annual 
amount of assessments collected, in the aggregate and by size and class 
of handler, the manner in which such assessments were collected, the 
amount of direct expenditures credited against the pro rata expense 
assessment obligations of each handler, and the purpose to which such 
assessments and such direct expenditures of each such handler were 
devoted. 
Approved May 15, 1978. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 95-641 (Comm. on Agriculture), No. 95-1044 (Comm. of 
Conference), and No. 95-1103 (Comm. of Conference). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 95-699 (Comm. on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry) and 
No. 95-705 (Comm. on Appropriations). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 123 (1977): Oct. 31, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 124 (1978): Mar. 21, considered and passed Senate, amended, in lieu of 
S. 2481. 
Apr. 10, Senate agreed to conference report. 
Apr. 12, House rejected conference report. 
May 2, Senate agreed to second conference report. 
May 4, House agreed to second conference report. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS: 
Vol. 14, No. 20 (1978): May 15, Presidential statement.