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proved agencies; shall accord such recognition and encouragement to producer-owned and producer-controlled cooperative associations as will be in harmony with the policy toward cooperative associations set forth in existing Acts of Congress and as will tend to promote efficient methods of marketing and distribution; shall not have power to acquire any land or any right of interest therein; shall, in every practicable manner, protect the interests of small producers; and shall in every practical way encourage and provide for soil-conserving and soilrebuilding practices rather than the growing of soil-depleting crops. Rules and regulations governing payments or grants under this subsection shall be as simple and direct as possible, and, wherever practicable, they shall be classified on two bases: (a) Soil-depleting crop and practices, (b) soil-building crops and practices.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in making available conservation materials consisting of seeds, seed inoculants, fertilizers, liming and other soil-conditioning materials, trees, or plants, or in making available soil-conserving or soil-building services or pollution prevention or abatement aids, to agricultural producers under this subsection, the Secretary may make payments in advance of determination of performance by the producers, to persons who fill purchase orders covering approved conservation materials or covering soil-conserving or soil-building services or pollution prevention or abatement aids, furnished to producers, or who render services to the Secretary in delivering to producers approved conservation materials, for the carrying out, by the producers, of soil-building or soil-conserving practices or pollution prevention or abatement practices approved by the Secretary.11 The price at which purchase orders for any conservation materials or services are filled may be limited to a fair price fixed in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.

Appropriations are hereby authorized for the purchase in advance of the program year for which the appropriation is made of seeds, fertilizers, lime, trees, or any other farming materials or any soil-terracing services, and making grants thereof to agricultural producers to aid them in carrying out farming practices approved by the Secretary in programs under this Act; for the reimbursement of any Federal, State, or local government agency for fertilizers, seeds, lime, trees, or other farming materials, or any soil-terracing services, furnished by such agency; and for the payment of all expenses necessary in making such grants, including all or part of the costs incident to the delivery thereof. In carrying out the purposes of subsection (a) of section 7, the Secretary may enter into agreements with agricultural producers for periods not to exceed ten years, on such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems desirable, creating obligations in advance of appropriations not to exceed such amounts as may be specified in annual appropriation Acts. Such agreements (i) shall be based on conservation plans approved by the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the lands described in the agreements are situated, and (ii) may be modified or terminated by mutual consent if the Secretary determines such action would be in the public interest. The Secretary also may terminate agreements if he determines such action to be in the national

"The words "or pollution prevention or abatement aids" and "or pollution prevention or abatement practices" were added by P.L. 92-419, 86 Stat. 677, August 30, 1972.

interest and provides public notice in ample time to give producers a reasonable opportunity to make arrangements for appropriate changes in the use of their land. 12 (16 U.S.C. 590h(b).)

[Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1956. SEC. 6(b).13 Payments of grants under sections 7 to 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, may be conditioned upon the utilization of land with respect to which such payments or grants are to be made in conformity with farming practices which will encourage and provide for soil-building and soil- and water-conserving practices in the most practical and effective manner and adapted to conditions in the several States, as determined and approved by the State committees appointed pursuant to section 8(b) of such Act, for the respective States. (16 U.S.C. 590h-4.)]

[PUBLIC LAW 85-278.14 That, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of section 8 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, two county committees shall be elected annually under such subsection for the counties of Otter Tail, Polk, and Saint Louis, in the Sate of Minnesota, and for the county of Pottowattamie, in the State of Iowa, and that the actions heretofore or hereafter taken by each of such committees shall be given the same effect in the area served by it as is given to the actions of the county committee in a county served by a single county committee. (16 U.S.C. 590h note.)]

APPORTIONMENT OF ACREAGE ALLOTMENTS

(c) (1) In apportioning acreage allotments under this section in the case of wheat and corn, the National and State allotments and the allotments to counties shall be apportioned annually on the basis of the acreage seeded for the production of the commodity during the ten calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which the national acreage allotment is determined (plus, in applicable years, the acreage diverted under previous agricultural adjustment and conservation programs), with adjustments for abnormal weather conditions and trends in acreage during the applicable period.

(2)15 In the case of wheat, the allotment to any county shall be apportioned annually by the Secretary through the local committees, among the farms within such county on the basis of tillable acres, crop-rotation practices, type of soil, and topography. Not more than 3 per centum of such county allotment shall be apportioned to farms on which wheat has not been planted during any of the three marketing years immediately preceding the marketing year in which the allotment is made. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the allotments established, or which would have been established, for any farm acquired in 1940 or thereafter by the United States for national-defense purposes shall be placed in an allotment pool and shall be used only to establish

12 This paragraph was added by P.L. 92-419, 86 Stat. 676, August 30, 1972.

13 P.L. 84-979, 70 Stat. 1033, August 3, 1956.

14 Act of September 2, 1957, 71 Stat. 601.

15 See section 333(d) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended, regarding the national acreage allotment for 1966 and subsequent years of wheat.

allotments for other farms owned or acquired by the owner of the
farm so acquried by the United States. The allotments so made for
any farm, including a farm on which wheat has not been planted
during any of the three marketing years preceding the marketing
year in which the allotment is made shall compare with the allot-
ments established for other farms in the same area which are
similar except for the past acreage of wheat. (16 U.S.C. 590h(c).)
(3) In the case of corn, the allotment to any county shall be
apportioned annually by the Secretary, through the local commit-
tees, among the farms within such county on the basis of tillable
acreage, type of soil, topography, and crop-rotation practices.
(4)18

(5) In determining normal yield per acre for any county under this section in the case of wheat or corn, the normal yield shall be the average yield per acre therein for such commodity during the ten calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which such yield is determined, adjusted for abnormal weather conditions and trends in yields. If for any reason, there is no actual yield, or the data therefor are not available for any year, then an appraised yield for such year, determined in accordance with regulations of the Secretary, shall be used. If, on account of drought, flood, insect pests, plant disease, or other uncontrollable natural causes, the yield in any year of such ten-year period is less than 75 per centum of the average (computed without regard to such year), such year shall be eliminated in calculating the normal yield per acre. Such normal yield per acre for any county need be redetermined only when the actual average yield for the ten calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which such yield is being reconsidered differs by at leat 5 per centum from the actual average yield for the ten years upon which the existing normal yield per acre for the county was based.

(6) In determining normal yield per acre for any farm under this section in the case of wheat or corn, the normal yield shall be the average yield per acre thereon for such commodity during the ten calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which such yield is determined, adjusted for abnormal weather conditions and trends in yields. If for any such year the data are not available, or there is no actual yield, then the normal yield for the farm shall be appraised in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary, taking into consideration abnormal weather conditions, the normal yield for the county, and the yield in years for which data are available. (16 U.S.C. 590h(c).)

CONDITIONS AFFECTING PAYMENTS OR GRANTS OF AID

(d) Any payment or grant of aid made under subsection (b) shall be conditioned upon the utilization of the land, with respect to which such payment is made, in conformity with farming practices which the Secretary finds tend to effectuate any one or more of the purposes specified in clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of section 7(a).

Any payment made under subsection (b) with respect to any farm except for lands which the Secretary determines should not be utilized

16 Repealed by the Act of April 10, 1939, P.L. 76-30, 53 Stat. 573.

for the harvesting of crops but should be permanently used for grazing purposes only shall if the number of cows kept on such farm, and in the county in which such farm is located, for the production of milk or products thereof (for market), exceeds the normal number of such cows, be further conditioned upon the utilization of the land, with respect to which such payment is made, so that soil-building and soilconserving crops planted or produced on an acreage equal to the land normally used for the production of soil-depleting crops, but, as a condition of such payment, not permitted to be so used, shall be used for the purpose of building and conserving the fertility of the soil, or for the production of agricultural commodities to be consumed on the farm, and not for market. Whenever it is determined that a county, as a whole, is in substantial compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, no payment shall be denied any individual farmer in the county by reason of this paragraph; and no payment shall be denied a farmer by reason of this paragraph unless it has been determined that the farmer has not substantially complied with the provisions of this paragraph. Whenever the Secretary finds that by reason of drought, flood, or other disaster a shortage of feed exists in any area, he shall so declare, and to the extent and for the period he finds necessary to relieve such shortage, the operation of the condition provided in this paragraph shall be suspended in such area and, if necessary to relieve such shortage, in other areas defined by him. As used in this paragraph, the term "for market" means for disposition by sale, barter, or exchange, or by feeding (in any form) to dairy livestock which, or the products of which, are to be sold, bartered or exchanged; and such terms shall not include consumption on the farm. An agricultural commodity shall be deemed consumed on the farm if consumed by the farmer's family, employees, or household, or if fed to poultry or livestock other than dairy livestock on his farm; or if fed to dairy livestock on his farm and such dairy livestock, or the products thereof are to be consumed by his family, employees, or household. Whenever the Secretary has reason to believe the income of producers of livestock (other than dairy cattle) or poultry in any area from such sources is being adversely affected by increases in the supply for market of such livestock or poultry, as the case may be, arising as a result of programs carried out under this Act, he shall make an investigation with respect to the existence of such facts. If, upon investigation, the Secretary finds that the income of producers of such livestock, or poultry, as the case may be, in any area from any such source is being adversely affected by such increases, he shall, as soon as practicable make such provision in the administration of this Act with respect to the use of diverted acres as he may find necessary to protect the interests of producers of such livestock or poultry in the affected area. (16 U.S.C. 590h(d).)

DIVISION OF PAYMENTS AMONG LANDLORDS, TENANTS, AND

SHARECROPPERS

(e)17 Payments made by the Secretary under subsection (b) of this section to agricultural producers shall be divided among landlords,

17 The first paragraph of (e) was substituted for the first three original paragraphs by Sec. 1501 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977, P.L. 95-113, 91 Stat. 1020, Sept. 29, 1977.

tenants, and sharecroppers in proportion to the extent such landlords, tenants, and sharecroppers contribute to the cost of carrying out the conservation or environmental enhancement measures. The maximum payment which may be made to any person shall be determined by the Secretary.

18

Persons who carry out farming operations as tenants or sharecroppers on cropland owned by the United States Government and who comply with the terms and conditions of the conservation program, formulated pursuant to sections 7 to 17, inclusive, of this Act, as amended, shall be entitled to apply for and receive payments, or to retain payments heretofore made, for their participation in said program to the same extent as other producers. Persons who carry out conservation practices on federally owned noncropland which directly conserve or benefit nearby or adjoining privately owned lands of such persons and who maintain and use such Federal land under agreement with the Federal agency having jurisdiction thereof and who comply with the terms and conditions of the agricultural conservation program formulated pursuant to sections 7 to 17 of this Act, as amended, shall be entitled to apply for and receive payments under such program to the same extent as other producers. (16 U.S.C. 590h(e).)

CHANGE BETWEEN LANDLORD AND TENANTS OR SHARECROPPERS AFFECTING LANDLORD'S PAYMENTS

(f) Any change in the relationship between the landlord and the tenants or sharecroppers, with respect to any farm, that would increase over the previous year the amount of payments or grants of other aid under such subsection (b) that would otherwise be made to any landlord shall not operate to increase such payment or grant to such landlord. Any reduction in the number of tenants below the average number of tenants on any farm during the preceding three years that would increase the payments or grants of other aid under such subsection that would otherwise be made to the landlord shall not hereafter operate to increase any such payment or grant to such landlord. Such limitations shall not apply if on investigation the local committee finds that the change is justified and approves such change in relationship or reduction. Such action of local committees shall be subject to approval or disapproval by State committees. (16 U.S.C. 590h(f).)

ASSIGNMENT OF PAYMENT

(g)19 A payment which may be made to a farmer under this section, may be assigned, without discount, by him in writing as security for cash or advances to finance making a crop, handling or marketing an agricultural commodity, or performing a conservation practice. Such assignment shall be signed by the farmer and witnessed by a member of the county committee or by an employee of such committee, except that where the assignee is a bank whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farmers Home Adminis

1 The Department of Agriculture appropriation act for the 1980 fiscal year, P.L. 96-108, 93 Stat. 821, Nov. 9, 1979, provides: "... no participant in the Agricultural Conservation Program shall receive more than $3,500, except where the participants from two or more farms or ranches join to carry out approved practices designed to conserve or improve the agricultural resources of the community. . . ." Similar limitations have appeared in the Department appropriation acts for prior years.

14 Subsection (g) was amended by P. L. 89-742, 80 Stat. 1167, Nov. 2, 1966.

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