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Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73not60

§7901 Definitions

Title 7 › Chapter 106— COMMODITY PROGRAMS › § 7901

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter. Agricultural Act of 1949 — the 1949 farm law as it stood before the suspensions under section 7301. Base acres — the number of acres set for a covered commodity on a farm based on the owner’s election. Counter-cyclical payment — a payment made to producers under section 7914. Covered commodity — major program crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, rice, soybeans, and other oilseeds. Direct payment — a payment made to producers under section 7913. Effective price — the price the Secretary calculates to decide if counter-cyclical payments are needed. Extra long staple cotton — a special Barbadense-type cotton grown in certain areas and ginned on specific machines. Loan commodity — includes major grains, cotton (upland and extra long staple), soy and other oilseeds, and items like wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas. Other oilseed — includes sunflower, rapeseed/canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard, crambe, sesame, and any other oilseed the Secretary names. Payment acres — 85 percent of the base acres used for direct and counter-cyclical payments. Payment yield — the yield set for a farm. Updated payment yield — the yield the owner may choose to use when calculating counter-cyclical payments. Producer — an owner, operator, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper who shares farm risk and the crop; hybrid seed growers cannot be excluded just because of a hybrid seed contract, and the Secretary must protect their ability to get payments. Secretary — the Secretary of Agriculture. State — the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories or possessions. United States (geographical) — the States.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §7901

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter (other than subchapter III):
(1)The term “Agricultural Act of 1949” means the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), as in effect prior to the suspensions under section 7301 of this title.
(2)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 with respect to the covered commodity on the election made by the owner of the farm under subsection (a) of such section.
(3)The term “counter-cyclical payment” means a payment made to producers on a farm under section 7914 of this title.
(4)The term “covered commodity” means wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, rice, soybeans, and other oilseeds.
(5)The term “direct payment” means a payment made to producers on a farm under section 7913 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 7914 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 thereof, 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, rice, soybeans, other oilseeds, wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas.
(9)The term “other oilseed” means a crop of sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe, sesame seed, or, if designated by the Secretary, another oilseed.
(10)The term “payment acres” means 85 percent of the base acres of a covered commodity on a farm, as established under section 7911 of this title, on which direct payments and counter-cyclical payments are made.
(11)(A)The term “payment yield” means the yield established under section 7912 of this title for a farm for a covered commodity.
(B)The term “updated payment yield” means the payment yield elected by the owner of a farm under section 7912(e) of this title to be used in calculating the counter-cyclical payments for the farm.
(12)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. In determining whether a grower of hybrid seed is a producer, the Secretary shall not take into consideration the existence of a hybrid seed contract and shall ensure that program requirements do not adversely affect the ability of the grower to receive a payment under this chapter.
(13)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(14)The term “State” means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of the United States.
(15)The term “target price” means the price per bushel (or other appropriate unit in the case of upland cotton, rice, and other oilseeds) of a covered commodity used to determine the payment rate for counter-cyclical payments.
(16)The term “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, means all of the States.

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. 107–171,
May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 143, which enacted this chapter and section 1308–3a of this title, amended section 1301, 1308 to 1308–3, 1308–4, 1308–5, 1314b, 1359aa to 1359kk, 1361, 1371, 1373, 1378, 1428, 1441, 1637a, 4501 to 4504, 4507, 4553, 6402, 6414, 6998, 7001, 7235, 7272, 7282 to 7284, 7286, and 7301 of this title, and section 713a–4 and 714c of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, repealed section 1339a, 1357 to 1359a, and 7271 of this title and section 3830a of Title 16, Conservation, and enacted provisions set out as notes under section 1308 and 7272 of this title. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see Tables. Subchapter III, referred to in text, was in the original “subtitle C”, meaning subtitle C (§§ 1301–1310) of title I of Pub. L. 107–171,
May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 166, which is classified principally to subchapter III of this chapter. For complete classification of subtitle C to the Code, see

References in Text

note set out under section 7951 of this title and Tables. The Agricultural Act of 1949, referred to in par. (1), is act Oct. 31, 1949, ch. 792, 63 Stat. 1051, which is classified principally to chapter 35A (§ 1421 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1421 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2003—Par. (9). Pub. L. 108–7 inserted “crambe, sesame seed,” after “mustard seed,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2003 Amendment Pub. L. 108–7, div. A, title VII, § 763(d), Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 47, provided that: “This section [amending this section and section 7932 and 7934 of this title] and the

Amendments

made by this section apply beginning with the 2003 crop of other oilseeds (as defined in section 1001 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7901)), dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas.”

Short Title

of 2006 Amendment Pub. L. 109–171, title I, § 1001, Feb. 8, 2006, 120 Stat. 4, provided that: “This title [amending section 2009cc–18, 2655, 7621, 7913, 7937, 7953, 7982, and 8106 of this title and section 3838a, 3839aa–2, 3839aa–7, and 3841 of Title 16, Conservation, and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 7937 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Agricultural Reconciliation Act of 2005’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 107–171, § 1(a), May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 134, provided that: “This Act [see Tables for classification] may be cited as the ‘Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 7901

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60