Emergency Farm Relief Act of 1983

Summary

Emergency Farm Relief Act of 1983 - Title I: Cropland Conservation and Acreage Limitation Programs for 1984 and 1985 Crops - Subtitle A: Cropland Conservation Program - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to proclaim a national cropland conservation program for the 1984 and 1985 wheat, feed grain, upland cotton, and rice crops. Requires participants to set aside 20 percent of their cropland for conservation use. Requires such program to be approved or disapproved by a producer referendum. Sets commodity loan and purchase levels, if the program is approved, at $4.35 per bushel for wheat, $3 per bushel for corn, $.71 per pound for upland cotton, and $9 per-hundred weight for rice. Sets commodity price levels, upon program approval, at $4.71 per bushel for wheat, $3.28 per bushel for corn, $.83 per pound for upland cotton, and $11 per hundredweight for rice. States that noncompliance will result in a two-year denial of specified farm benefits. Subtitle B: Acreage Limitation Program - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish minimum 20 percent set-aside programs for the 1984 and 1985 wheat, feed grain, and upland cotton crops if cropland conversion programs are disapproved. Bases such programs on carry-over levels (five percent for wheat, 18 percent for feed grains, and 4,200,000 bales for cotton). Gives participating wheat and feed grain farmers a five percent loan rate increase and cotton farmers a ten percent increase. Permits specified additional set-asides and loan rate increase options for each of these crops. Subtitle C: Miscellaneous Conforming Amendments - Makes conforming amendments to the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 and the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981. Title II: Farm Storage Facility Loan Program - Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to direct the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to guarantee up to 90 percent of any grower-harvested grain storage facility loan, and up to $250,000,000 of all such loans annually. Title III: Barter of Agricultural Commodities for Strategic and Critical Materials and Petroleum Products - Authorizes the CCC to exchange agricultural products for oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress regarding CCC foreign products bartering. Title IV: Emergency Agricultural Credit - Amends the Emergency Agricultural Credit Adjustment Act of 1978 to make the discretionary economic emergency loan program mandatory. Extends such program through FY 1985. Lowers the production loss assistance threshold from 30 to 20 percent. Title V: Agricultural Exports - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) $1,000,000,000 should be made available to the Agricultural Export Credit Revolving Fund; and (2) the Secretary should conclude a grain agreement with the Soviet Union. Title VI: White House Conference on Agriculture - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should convene a White House Conference on Agriculture within one year. Requires a Conference report to the President and Congress.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 26 January 1983

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 26 January 1983

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 17 February 1983

   Committee

   Committee on Agriculture. Hearings held on Title V.

   Source: Committee

4. 25 February 1983

   Committee

   Committee on Agriculture. Hearings concluded. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 98-70.

   Source: Committee

5. 2 March 1983

   Committee

   Committee on Agriculture. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held on Title V.

   Source: Committee

6. 3 March 1983

   Reported

   Committee on Agriculture. Ordered reported an original bill (S.822) in lieu of Title V.

   Source: Committee

7. 23 March 1983

   Committee

   Subcommittee on Agricultural Credit. Hearings held on Title IV. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 98-135.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 26 January 1983

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Zorinsky, Edward [D-NE] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Andrews, Mark [R-ND-At Large] · R · Sponsor
• · ssaf00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← Agricultural Export Equity and Market Expansion Act of 1983