§9018 — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

Farm producers must agree to follow certain rules to get payments for that farm. They must follow conservation and wetland-protection rules under the Food Security Act of 1985. They must control noxious weeds and keep the land in good farming condition as the Secretary requires. They must use the land equal to the farm’s attributable base acres and any base acres for agricultural or conserving use, and not convert it to nonagricultural commercial, industrial, or residential use. The Secretary can make rules to enforce these requirements and may change them for a new owner or transferee if the change fits the same goals. If a producer transfers their interest, payments stop unless the new owner agrees to take on the same obligations. If a producer dies or can’t receive payment, the Secretary will pay according to rules. To get payments, producers must file yearly acreage reports for all cropland. For individual agriculture risk coverage, producers must also file yearly production reports for all covered commodities in the same State where they have an interest and chose individual coverage. No penalty is applied for a wrong report unless the Secretary finds it was knowingly and willfully falsified. The Secretary must protect tenants and sharecroppers and make sure payments are shared fairly among producers on a farm.

Title 7, §9018

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Before the producers on a farm may receive payments under this subchapter with respect to the farm, the producers shall agree, during the crop year for which the payments are made and in exchange for the payments—

(A)to comply with applicable conservation requirements under subtitle B of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3811 et seq.);

(B)to comply with applicable wetland protection requirements under subtitle C of title XII of that Act (16 U.S.C. 3821 et seq.);

(C)to effectively control noxious weeds and otherwise maintain the land in accordance with sound agricultural practices, as determined by the Secretary; and

(D)to use the land on the farm, in a quantity equal to the attributable base acres for the farm and any base acres for an agricultural or conserving use, and not for a nonagricultural commercial, industrial, or residential use, as determined by the Secretary.

(2)The Secretary may issue such rules as the Secretary considers necessary to ensure producer compliance with the requirements of paragraph (1).

(3)At the request of the transferee or owner, the Secretary may modify the requirements of this subsection if the modifications are consistent with the objectives of this subsection, as determined by the Secretary.

(b)(1)(A)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a transfer of (or change in) the interest of the producers on a farm for which payments under this subchapter are provided shall result in the termination of the payments, unless the transferee or owner of the acreage agrees to assume all obligations under subsection (a).

(B)The termination shall take effect on the date determined by the Secretary.

(2)If a producer entitled to a payment under this subchapter dies, becomes incompetent, or is otherwise unable to receive the payment, the Secretary shall make the payment in accordance with rules issued by the Secretary.

(c)As a condition on the receipt of any benefits under this subchapter or subchapter II, the Secretary shall require producers on a farm to submit to the Secretary annual acreage reports with respect to all cropland on the farm.

(d)As an additional condition on receiving agriculture risk coverage payments for individual coverage, the Secretary shall require a producer on a farm to submit to the Secretary annual production reports with respect to all covered commodities produced on all farms in the same State—

(1)in which the producer has an interest; and

(2)for which individual coverage has been selected.

(e)No penalty with respect to benefits under this subchapter or subchapter II shall be assessed against a producer on a farm for an inaccurate acreage or production report unless the Secretary determines that the producer on the farm knowingly and willfully falsified the acreage or production report.

(f)In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall provide adequate safeguards to protect the interests of tenants and sharecroppers.

(g)The Secretary shall provide for the sharing of payments made under this subchapter among the producers on a farm on a fair and equitable basis.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This subchapter, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1), (b)(1)(A), (2), (c), and (e) to (g), was in the original “this subtitle”, meaning subtitle A (§§ 1101–1109) of title I of Pub. L. 113–79, Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 658, which is classified principally to this subchapter. For complete classification of subtitle A to the Code, see Tables. The Food Security Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (a)(1)(A), (B), is Pub. L. 99–198, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1354. Subtitles B and C of title XII of the Act are classified generally to subchapters II (§ 3811 et seq.) and III (§ 3821 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 58 of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1985 Amendment note set out under section 1281 of this title and Tables.

§9018 Producer Agreements