§7915 Producer Agreement Required as Condition of Provision of Direct Payments and Counter-cyclical Payments

Summary

Producers must agree to certain rules before they can get direct or counter-cyclical payments for a farm. They must follow conservation rules and wetland protections in the Food Security Act of 1985, follow the planting flexibility rules in section 7916, and use land equal to the farm’s attributable base acres (including peanut base acres under subchapter III) only for farming or conservation, not for nonagricultural commercial or industrial uses. If parts of the land are left unplanted, they must control noxious weeds and keep the land in good agricultural condition. The Secretary may make rules to enforce these requirements and may change them for a transferee or owner if the change still meets the goals. If a producer transfers or changes their interest in base acres, payments stop unless the new owner agrees to take on the obligations; the Secretary decides when the termination takes effect. If a producer dies, becomes incompetent, or cannot receive a payment, the Secretary will make the payment under rules. Producers must file yearly acreage reports for all cropland to receive benefits. The Secretary must protect tenants and sharecroppers and make sure payments are shared fairly among the farm’s producers.