Agriculture and Food Act of 1981

Summary

Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 - Title I: Dairy - Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as reenacted and amended by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to make dairy base plan authority permanent (current authority expires at the end of 1981). Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to extend through 1985: (1) semiannual milk support adjustments; (2) the program of price-supported dairy products for the military and veterans' hospitals; and (3) the dairy indemnity program. Title II: Wool and Mohair - Amends the National Wool Act of 1954 to extend the wool and mohair price support program through 1985. Title III: Wheat - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide for loans and purchases of the 1982-1985 wheat crops at the higher of $3.20 per bushel or 85 percent of the average U.S. price over a given period in order to keep the price of wheat competitive with that of other grains. Extends current authority through 1985 for land diversion payments to wheat producer. Exempts the 1982-1985 wheat crops from: (1) marketing quotas and producers certificate provisions; (2) quota provisions; and (3) current support price levels. Extends the Commodity Credit Corporation sales price restrictions for wheat and feed grains through 1985. Extends the nonapplicability of processor and exporter certificate requirements to wheat processors and exporters through May 31, 1986. Title IV: Feed Grains - Provides for loans and purchases of the: (1) 1982 corn crop at not less than $2.40 per bushel or 75 percent of the average U.S. corn price over a given period; and (2) 1983-1985 corn crops at between 65-85 percent of such price (with a minimum of $2.40 per bushel). Provides for loans and purchases of the 1982-1985 crops of barley, oats, grain sorghums, and rye at levels determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Extends current authority through 1985 for: (1) land diversion payments to feed grain producers; (2) the inapplicability of certain price support provisions to such producers. Title V: Upland Cotton - Extends for the 1982-1985 upland cotton crops: (1) marketing quota and acreage allotment suspensions; (2) loan levels, with a provision that upland cotton imported into the United States while a special quota is in effect shall not be subject to import duties; (3) Commodity Credit Corporation sales price restrictions; (4) skiprow practices; (5) exemptions from cotton-soybean equivalency requirements; and (6) the land diversion program. States that the permanent State, county and farm base acreage allotments for the 1977 upland cotton crop shall be the preliminary allotments for the 1986 crop. Title VI: Rice - Provides for loans and purchases of the: (1) 1982 rice crop at 75 percent of the average U.S. rice crop over a given period; and (2) 1983-1985 rice crops at between 65-85 percent of such price. States that the level for the 1982-1985 crops shall not be less than $8.01 per hundredweight. Extends the land diversion program. Suspends provisions relating to allotments, marketing quotas, and acreage apportionment for the 1982-1985 rice crops. Title VII: Peanuts - Exempts the 1982-1985 peanut crops from annual marketing quota and State acreage allotment requirements. Provides that the 1982-1985 New Mexico peanut allotments shall not be reduced below the adjusted 1977 level. Extends for the 1982-1985 peanut crops provisions relating to the national acreage allotment, national poundage quota, and farm poundage quota. Modifies such provisions to: (1) set a minimum national acreage allotment of 1,614,000 acres; (2) set a minimum national poundage quota of 1,440,000 tons increased as necessary by the Secretary of Agriculture; and (3) require and set forth formulae for determining individual farm yields, base production poundage, and poundage quotas. States that if the total of all increases in individual farm poundage quotas exceeds ten percent of the national poundage quota the Secretary shall adjust such increases in order not to exceed such national poundage quota. Extends provisions relating to sale, lease, and transfer of acreage allotments for the 1982-1985 peanut crops. Permits acreage allotments and marketing quotas to be transferred without regard to county boundaries in a State having a peanut acreage allotment of not more than 11,000 acres. Extends provisions relating to marketing penalties and the disposition of additional peanuts for the 1982-1985 crops. Modifies such provisions to: (1) direct the Secretary to authorize specified county committees to reduce or waive penalties for unintentional violations; (2) provide that weight errors not exceeding one-tenth of one percent in the case of any marketing document shall not be considered violations except in cases of fraud or conspiracy; (3) permit the Secretary to exempt certain seed peanuts from marketing penalties; (4) penalize handlers for marketing peanuts in excess of the quantity, grade, or quality of quota levels; (5) change the deadline for contracting for additional peanuts from June 15 to April 15; (6) permit producers to redeem additional peanuts from loan at prices equal to or more than 105 percent of the loan level of quota peanuts; and (7) give sole authority to the area marketing associations for selling additional peanuts under loan when such peanuts are sold at prices not less than the Commodity Credit Corporation's minimum price. Extends through 1985: (1) specified reporting and recordkeeping requirements; and (2) preservation of unused allotments provisions. Extends the price support program for the 1982-1985 peanut crops. Modifies such program to: (1) establish such levels at the Secretary's discretion, but not less than $650 per ton; (2) set forth factors to be considered by the Secretary in making any loan level adjustments; (3) prohibit the support price for additional peanuts from being set at a level that would incur losses for the Commodity Credit Corporation; (4) require storage loans and supervisory activities to be carried out by grower associations operated primarily for such purposes; and (5) direct the Secretary to require area marketing associations to establish recordkeeping procedures. Title VIII: Soybeans - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to establish the soybean price support program under the category of "basic agricultural commodity." Provides for loans and purchases of the: (1) 1982 soybean crop at 75 percent of the average U.S. price over a given period; and (2) 1983-1985 soybean crops at between 65-85 percent of such price. States that the level for the 1982-1985 crops shall not be less than $5.02 per bushel. States that soybeans are ineligible for the producer storage reserve program. Title IX: Grain Reserve Storage Facility Loans - Modifies the current wheat and feed grains producer storage program as follows: (1) directs the Secretary to set up a producer storage program for wheat and feed grains; (2) authorizes the Secretary to fix loan levels as necessary to encourage producer participation; (3) establishes the repayment period for such loans at not less than three years with an adjustable interest rate based upon the rate paid by the Commodity Credit Corporation; (4) sets the release price for a particular commodity at the average adjusted cost of production; (5) provides for storage payments to be made until the loan matures or until the commodity's market price is at least 115 percent of the release price; (6) authorizes the Secretary to require early repayment in cases of emergency, after sending notice of such a situation to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees; and (7) prohibits the Commodity Credit Corporation from selling wheat or feed grains at less than 130 percent of the release price whenever the storage program is in effect. Extends the farm storage facility loan program through 1985. Title X: Miscellaneous - Extends the special grazing and hay program through 1985. Amends the Wheat and Wheat Foods Research and Nutrition Education Act to provide penalties for violations of such Act. Repeals title XVIII (advisory committees) of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977. Directs: (1) the Secretary to appoint a special task force to study the concept of farm income protection insurance; (2) such task force to report to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees within 18 months of enactment of this Act; and (3) such task force to be dissolved 40 days after submitting such report. Amends the United States Grain Standards Act to authorize State agencies to perform official inspections at export port locations under specified circumstances. Title XI: Agricultural Exports - Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to establish in the U.S. Treasury an Agricultural Export Credit Revolving Fund to make loans to foreign purchasers of U.S. agricultural commodities and for loans for related overseas facilities construction and acquisition. Authorizes specified appropriations for fiscal years 1982-1984. Requires the Secretary to make annual reports (beginning not later than December 31, 1982) to Congress regarding the Fund's operations. Dissolves such Fund effective October 1, 1985. Provides for a two-House veto of any bilateral international agreement (excluding treaties) which involves a commitment by the United States to assure access by foreign countries or instrumentalities to U.S. agricultural commodities on a commercial basis. Directs the Secretary to formulate a special export subsidy program to neutralize the effects of such foreign subsidies in non-U.S. markets. Sets forth the determinations which must be first made by the President before the Secretary may so act. Amends the Agricultural Trade Suspension Adjustment Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary to mitigate the adverse effects on agricultural prices generated by executive foreign policy or national security export controls. Sets forth formulae for determining such payments. Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (Public Law 480) to extend international assistance programs under such Act through 1985. Title XII: Food Stamps - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to establish a food stamp purchase requirement. Exempts the elderly and the disabled from such requirement. Increases from 30 to 33 percent the assumed amount of income spent on food. Establishes penalties for abuses by coupon issuers. Excludes boarders from food stamp participation. Requires children and parents living together to apply as one household unless one of the parents is at least 60 years old. Eliminates the provision allowing food stamps to be used in authorized restaurants. Adjusts the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan on January 1 of each year to reflect cost increases for the 12 months preceding September 30. Permits the Secretary to make individual food need adjustments in such Plan. Permits low income energy assistance payments to be counted as income for purposes of determining food stamp benefits. Requires States to establish a workfare program as a condition for participation in the food stamp program. Eliminates inflation adjustments for household income computation. Disallows income deductions for household expenses paid by a third party. Increases the period of disqualification for State-determined fraud from three to 12 months. Establishes a minimum 12-month period of disqualification for food stamp coupon fraud. Requires repayment of double the value of fraudulently received coupons before a person is eligible to again participate in the program (currently liable for the value of fraudulently received coupons). Lowers the age of "dependent" children from 12 to six for work exemption purposes. Prohibits any non-participating household from becoming eligible for such program, or from increased benefits, because of a family member's going on strike. Disqualifies households (other than those with elderly or certain disabled members) if gross income exceeds: (1) one-twelfth of the nonfarm poverty level; and (2) for a household with income, 115 percent of such poverty level. Reduces the household school lunch allotment and the per meal value of the Thrifty Food Plan for a family of eight. Requires first-month benefits to be pro-rated as necessary. Eliminates: (1) the provision prohibiting food stamps from being counted as income for public assistance determinations; and (2) Federal funding under such Act for food stamp outreach activities. Limits the period for recovering wrongfully denied benefits to 45 days from the date such a request is received by the State agency. Increases funding authorization for fiscal year 1981, and authorizes specified maximum appropriations for fiscal years 1982-1985. Amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to extend specified commodities distribution programs through fiscal year 1985. Establishes penalties for fraudulent use of such commodities. Amends the Food Stamp Act Amendments of 1980 to repeal scheduled increases in dependent care deductions for working adults and medical deductions for the elderly and the disabled. Title XIII: Reauthorization of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 - Extends the terms of the Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board from five to ten years. Revises membership and reporting provisions. Exempts such Council from the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Creates an additional Assistant Secretary of Agriculture to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Extends the authorization of appropriations for competitive research grants through fiscal year 1987. Makes: (1) land grant college research foundations eligible for special grants; and (2) cooperative forestry schools and land grant colleges eligible for facilities grants. Amends the Research Facilities Act of 1963 to extend the authorization of appropriations through fiscal year 1987. Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act to: (1) direct the Secretary to develop a higher education program in the food and agricultural sciences; (2) direct the Secretary of Education to transfer specified authority not already transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture under the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977; (3) authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to colleges for food and agricultural sciences programs, and (4) make competitive grants for specialized programs. Extends the authorization of appropriations for higher education grants through fiscal year 1987. Transfers specified teaching and related functions from the Secretary of Education to the Secretary of Agriculture. Extends the authorization of appropriations for alcohol and industrial hydrocarbon research grants through fiscal year 1987. Increases the maximum amount awardable to institutions in any one State. Establishes a distribution formula for the national education program. Extends the term of the Animal Health Science Research Advisory Board from five to ten years. Requires the Secretary to establish priority lists of animal health problems and to award grants on the basis of such priorities. Directs the Secretary to utilize institutions of higher education to develop linkages among such institutions, the Federal Government, and international research centers to improve worldwide food and agricultural progress. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance (on a reimbursable basis) to U.S. institutions so involved. Extends authorizations of appropriations through fiscal year 1987 for: (1) agricultural research; (2) agricultural experimental stations; and (3) cooperative extension programs. Provides that funds made available by the Secretary under specified Acts shall not be subject to reduction for indirect costs incurred by the recipient. Amends the McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962 to direct the Secretary to appoint a 16 member forestry advisory council. Amends Federal law to make funds from custom duties on agricultural products available for food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to permit the Secretary to furnish excess Federal property to State and county extension services, agricultural experimental stations, and to land grant colleges. Title XIV: Resource Conservation - Directs the Secretary to establish a program for the conservation of soil, water, and related resources in special designated areas with soil and water management problems. Provides with regard to such program that: (1) a conservation plan shall be developed by the Secretary and the local soil and water conservation district; (2) such plan shall be the basis for contracts to pay landowners to make conservation-oriented cropping changes; (3) contracts shall be for a maximum length of ten years; (4) special areas may be designated for ten years following enactment of this Act; and (5) the Secretary shall report to Congress by January 1, 1986, and at five-year intervals thereafter. Authorizes necessary appropriations. Amends the Watershed Protection and Flood Preservation Act to: (1) make all Indian tribes eligible sponsors of small watershed projects; (2) permit the Federal Government to share the costs of mitigating fish and wildlife losses resulting from such projects; and (3) raise the approval authority of the Secretary from $1,000 to $3,000. Permits energy developing components of projects under such Act and under title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act to be considered as part of the cost-benefit ratio. Authorizes the Secretary to use volunteers for conservation work without regard to civil service requirements. Deems such volunteers to be Federal employees for purposes of injury and tort compensation. Authorizes necessary appropriations. Title XV: Effective Date - Makes this Act effective as of October 1, 1981, except as otherwise provided therein.

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Documents

6 official files

• Public Law (PDF)

  Public Law · EN · 23 December 1981

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• Conference report filed in House

  summary · EN · 9 December 1981

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• Passed House amended

  summary · EN · 22 October 1981

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• Passed Senate amended

  summary · EN · 18 September 1981

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• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 27 May 1981

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 7 April 1981

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