§9018 Producer Agreements

Summary

Producers must agree, for the crop year, to follow certain rules to get payments. They must follow the conservation rules under subtitle B of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3811 et seq.) and the wetland rules under subtitle C of that Act (16 U.S.C. 3821 et seq.). They must control noxious weeds and keep the land in sound farming condition as the Secretary decides. They must use the land in an amount equal to the farm’s attributable base acres and any base acres used for farming or conservation, and not use that land for nonagricultural commercial, industrial, or residential purposes. The Secretary can make rules to enforce these requirements and may modify them for a new owner or transferee if the change still meets the same goals. If a producer transfers or changes their interest in a farm, payments stop unless the new owner agrees to take on the duties; the stop takes effect on the date the Secretary sets. If a producer dies, becomes incompetent, or cannot receive payment, the Secretary will pay under rules the Secretary makes. Producers must file annual acreage reports for all cropland to get benefits. For agriculture risk coverage with individual coverage, producers must also file annual production reports for covered commodities produced in the same State where they have an interest. No penalty will be charged for an inaccurate acreage or production report unless the Secretary finds the producer knowingly and willfully falsified it. The Secretary must protect tenants’ and sharecroppers’ interests and make sure payments are shared fairly among the farm’s producers.