Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§8702 Definitions

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 113— - AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY SUPPORT PROGRAMS › § 8702

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used for farm payment programs and crop rules so people know what those words mean. It lists terms and gives a one-line meaning for each. Average crop revenue election payment — a payment to producers under section 8715. Base acres — the acres for a covered commodity set under rules in effect on September 30, 2007, with possible adjustments; base acres for peanuts — defined in section 8751. Counter-cyclical payment — a payment under section 8714. Covered commodity — major crops like wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, long and medium grain rice, pulse crops, soybeans, and other oilseeds. Direct payment — a payment under section 8713. Effective price — the price the Secretary calculates under section 8714 to decide if counter‑cyclical payments are needed. Extra long staple cotton — special Barbadense-type cotton grown where the Secretary allows and ginned on roller gins or approved experimental gins. Loan commodity — a long list of crops and products eligible for loans, including the covered commodities plus extra long staple cotton, wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas. Medium grain rice — includes short grain rice. Other oilseed — includes sunflower, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard, crambe, sesame, or other oilseeds the Secretary names. Payment acres — normally 85% of base acres for payments, but for direct payments in the 2009 through 2011 crop years it is 83.3%. Payment yield — the yield used for direct and counter‑cyclical payments as set under sections in effect on September 30, 2007 or under section 8712. Producer — an owner, operator, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper who shares production risk and would share in the crop; for hybrid seed growers, the Secretary must ignore hybrid seed contracts and must not let program rules stop them from getting payments. Pulse crop — dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, and large chickpeas. State — a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory or possession. Target price — the price per unit used to set counter‑cyclical payment rates. United States (geographical) — all of the States. United States Premium Factor — the percentage that shows how much larger the U.S. premium difference is between Strict Middling (SM) 1-1/8-inch and Middling (M) 13/32-inch upland cotton than the comparable international premium difference.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §8702

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter (other than subchapter III):
(1)The term “average crop revenue election payment” means a payment made to producers on a farm under section 8715 11 See References in Text note below. of this title.
(2)(A)The term “base acres”, with respect to a covered commodity on a farm, means the number of acres established under section 7911 of this title as in effect on September 30, 2007, subject to any adjustment under section 8711 of this title.
(B)The term “base acres for peanuts” has the meaning given the term in section 8751 of this title.
(3)The term “counter-cyclical payment” means a payment made to producers on a farm under section 8714 1 of this title.
(4)The term “covered commodity” means wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, long grain rice, medium grain rice, pulse crops, soybeans, and other oilseeds.
(5)The term “direct payment” means a payment made to producers on a farm under section 8713 1 of this title.
(6)The term “effective price”, with respect to a covered commodity for a crop year, means the price calculated by the Secretary under section 8714 1 of this title to determine whether counter-cyclical payments are required to be made for that crop year.
(7)The term “extra long staple cotton” means cotton that—
(A)is produced from pure strain varieties of the Barbadense species or any hybrid of the species, or other similar types of extra long staple cotton, designated by the Secretary, having characteristics needed for various end uses for which United States upland cotton is not suitable and grown in irrigated cotton-growing regions of the United States designated by the Secretary or other areas designated by the Secretary as suitable for the production of the varieties or types; and
(B)is ginned on a roller-type gin or, if authorized by the Secretary, ginned on another type gin for experimental purposes.
(8)The term “loan commodity” means wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, long grain rice, medium grain rice, soybeans, other oilseeds, graded wool, nongraded wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, and large chickpeas.
(9)The term “medium grain rice” includes short grain rice.
(10)The term “other oilseed” means a crop of sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe, sesame seed, or any oilseed designated by the Secretary.
(11)The term “payment acres” means, in the case of direct payments and counter-cyclical payments—
(A)except as provided in subparagraph (B), 85 percent of the base acres of a covered commodity on a farm on which direct payments or counter-cyclical payments are made; and
(B)in the case of direct payments for each of the 2009 through 2011 crop years, 83.3 percent of the base acres for the covered commodity on a farm on which direct payments are made.
(12)The term “payment yield” means the yield established for direct payments and the yield established for counter-cyclical payments under section 7912 of this title as in effect on September 30, 2007, or under section 8712 of this title, for a farm for a covered commodity.
(13)(A)The term “producer” means an owner, operator, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper that shares in the risk of producing a crop and is entitled to share in the crop available for marketing from the farm, or would have shared had the crop been produced.
(B)In determining whether a grower of hybrid seed is a producer, the Secretary shall—
(i)not take into consideration the existence of a hybrid seed contract; and
(ii)ensure that program requirements do not adversely affect the ability of the grower to receive a payment under this chapter.
(14)The term “pulse crop” means dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, and large chickpeas.
(15)The term “State” means—
(A)a State;
(B)the District of Columbia;
(C)the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
(D)any other territory or possession of the United States.
(16)The term “target price” means the price per bushel, pound, or hundredweight (or other appropriate unit) of a covered commodity used to determine the payment rate for counter-cyclical payments.
(17)The term “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, means all of the States.
(18)The term “United States Premium Factor” means the percentage by which the difference in the United States loan schedule premiums for Strict Middling (SM) 1⅛-inch upland cotton and for Middling (M) 13⁄32-inch upland cotton exceeds the difference in the applicable premiums for comparable international qualities.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this title”, meaning title I of Pub. L. 110–246, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see Tables. section 8715 of this title, referred to in par. (1), was repealed by Pub. L. 113–79, title I, § 1103(a), Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 658. section 8714 of this title, referred to in pars. (3) and (6), was repealed by Pub. L. 113–79, title I, § 1102(a), Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 658. section 8713 of this title, referred to in par. (5), was repealed by Pub. L. 113–79, title I, § 1101, Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 658. Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 8702

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73