Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-110

§7415 Permissive Terms in Orders

Title 7 › CHAPTER 101 — AGRICULTURAL PROMOTION › SUBCHAPTER II — ISSUANCE OF ORDERS FOR PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ACTIVITIES REGARDING AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES › § 7415

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The program can let officials exempt very small amounts of a covered agricultural commodity and require safeguards so the exemption isn’t abused. It can let the program’s board set different payment and reporting schedules for different regions. The program can fund research, promotion, and information work to help market the commodity at home and abroad, following any other applicable rules. The program can keep reserve money from assessments to keep promotion and research going when collections drop, but the reserve can’t be larger than the biggest combined amount in approved budgets for any 2 fiscal years. It can give credits for contributions to similar state, regional, or local programs. Farmer cooperatives that run branded marketing can get an annual credit that reduces what their members owe, unless they waive it. The program can also assess imports at a comparable rate and take other actions needed to run the program so long as they fit its purpose.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §7415

Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Exemptions

An order issued under this subchapter may contain— (1)

(2)authority for the board established under the order to require satisfactory safeguards against improper use of the exemption.

(b)Different payment and reporting schedules

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority for the board established under the order to designate different payment and reporting schedules to recognize differences in agricultural commodity industry marketing practices and procedures used in different production and importing areas.

(c)Activities

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority to develop and carry out research, promotion, and information activities designed to expand, improve, or make more efficient the marketing or use of the agricultural commodity covered by the order in domestic and foreign markets. section 7414(e) of this title shall apply with respect to activities authorized under this subsection.

(d)Reserve funds

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority to reserve funds from assessments collected under section 7416 of this title to permit an effective and continuous coordinated program of research, promotion, and information in years when the yield from assessments may be reduced, except that the amount of funds reserved may not exceed the greatest aggregate amount of the anticipated disbursements specified in budgets approved under section 7414(e) of this title by the Secretary for any 2 fiscal years.

(e)Credits

(1)Generic activities

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority to provide credits of assessments for those individuals who contribute to other similar generic research, promotion, and information programs at the State, regional, or local level.

(2)Branded activities

(A)In general

The Secretary may permit a farmer cooperative that engages in branded activities relating to the marketing of the products of members of the cooperative to receive an annual credit for the activities and related expenditures in the form of a deduction of the total cost of the activities and related expenditures from the amount of any assessment that would otherwise be required to be paid by the producer members of the cooperative under an order issued under this subchapter.

(B)Election by cooperative

A farmer cooperative may elect to voluntarily waive the application of subparagraph (A) to the cooperative.

(f)Assessment of imports

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority for the board established under the order to assess under section 7416 of this title an imported agricultural commodity, or products of such an agricultural commodity, at a rate comparable to the rate determined by the appropriate board for the domestic agricultural commodity covered by the order.

(g)Other authority

An order issued under this subchapter may contain authority to take any other action that—

(1)is not inconsistent with the purpose of this subchapter, any term or condition specified in section 7414 of this title, or any rule issued to carry out this subchapter; and

(2)is necessary to administer the order.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 7415

Title 7, Agriculture

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110