WikiLeaks Document Release http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 February 2, 2009 Congressional Research Service Report RS21233 The 2002 Farm Law at a Glance Geoffrey S. Becker, Resources, Science and Industry Division Updated June 7, 2002 Abstract. On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) or 2002 into law (P.L. 107-171). FSRIA is the latest in a long line of omnibus, multi-year farm bills. It is intended to guide, for the next six years through 2002, the operation of commodity price and income support, conservation, agricultural trade and foreign food aid, domestic nutrition (primarily food stamps), farm credit, rural development, agricultural research and extension, and several other farm and rural-related policies and programs. The 2002 law is the successor to the last omnibus measure, the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127). Order Code RS21233 June 7, 2002 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web The 2002 Farm Law at a Glance Geoffrey S. Becker Specialist in Agricultural Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed the Farm Security and Rural Investment http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 Act (FSRIA) of 2002 into law (P.L. 107-171). FSRIA is the latest in a long line of omnibus, multi-year farm bills. It is intended to guide, for the next 6 years through 2007, the operation of commodity price and income support, conservation, agricultural trade and foreign food aid, domestic nutrition (primarily food stamps), farm credit, rural development, agricultural research and extension, and several other farm and rural- related policies and programs. The 2002 law is the successor to the last omnibus measure, the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127). This report, to be updated if events warrant, provides selected highlights.1 Commodity Programs (Title I) Wheat, Feed Grains, Cotton, Rice, Oilseeds. Fixed, decoupled payments again are available to eligible producers for wheat, corn, barley, grain sorghum, oats, upland cotton, and rice ­ and newly available for soybeans, and other oilseeds. New counter-cyclical deficiency payments will make up the difference between a crop's average market price plus the fixed decoupled payment, and its "target price," which is pegged to each unit (e.g., bushel, pound) produced. Both payments are based on 85% of past production history. Marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) continue, generally at higher rates than before. Beginning in 2003, annual payment limits are $40,000 for fixed payments; plus $65,000 for counter-cyclical payments; plus $75,000 for marketing loan gains (gains from USDA-issued commodity certificates are not counted). "Three-entity" and spousal rules are retained, effectively doubling these caps. (Other caps may apply to separate programs described below.) Peanuts. The program is revamped to operate like that for grains and cotton. Poundage quotas are ended; quota holder compensation is set at $220/ton/year for 5 years. New direct, decoupled fixed annual payments are $36 per ton, and new counter-cyclical 1 CRS Report RL31195, The 2002 Farm Bill: Overview and Status, contains program details. Congressional Research Service ~ The Library of Congress CRS-2 payments are based on target prices of $495/ton for 1998-2001 producers. The nonrecourse marketing loan rate for all peanuts produced is $355/ton. Sugar. Import quotas and loans continue to support prices at 18¢/lb.(raw cane) and 22.9¢/lb. (refined beet). The no-net cost rule is re-established; marketing assessments and loan forfeiture penalties are both eliminated. Marketing allotments, to avoid loan forfeitures, are authorized, as is acreage reduction in exchange for Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)-owned sugar. Dairy. Price support through commodity purchases is continued at the current level of $9.90/cwt. (100 lbs.) through 2007. A 3½-year National Dairy Program will provide payments equal to 45% of the difference between $16.94 and the Boston Class I (fluid use) price, whenever that price is lower than $16.94; each farmer's payments are limited to 2.4 million lbs. of annual production (approximately a 120-140-cow herd). Other Commodities. Marketing loans and LDPs are provided for wool, mohair, honey, dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas. The law requires $200 million annually to be spent on Section 32-funded purchases of fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 Selected Loan Rates, Fixed Payment Rates, and Target Prices, P.L. 107-171 Counter-Cyclical Loan Rates Fixed Payments Crop Target Prices (2002/03, 2004/07) * 2002-2007 (2002/03, 2004/07) * Wheat, $/bu 2.80, 2.75 0.52 3.86, 3.92 Corn, $/bu 1.98, 1.95 0.28 2.60, 2.63 Cotton, $/lb 0.52, 0.52 0.0667 0.724, 0.724 Rice, $/cwt 6.50, 6.50 2.35 10.50, 10.50 Soybean, $/bu 5.00, 5.00 0.44 5.80, 5.80 * Reflects rates that change in some years. The commodity title contains a "circuit breaker" provision requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that trade-distorting domestic farm subsidies do not exceed the annual limits ($19.1 billion) agreed to under the multilateral 1994 trade agreements. Conservation (Title II) The new law increases the acreage cap for the conservation reserve program from 36.4 million, to 39.2 million, acres, of which up to 1 million acres can be used for the farmable wetland program in all states. It increases the acreage cap for the reauthorized wetlands reserve program from 1.075 million, to 2.275 million, acres; 250,000 acres can be enrolled annually. The law gradually increases the environmental quality incentives program to reach a $1.3 billion annual funding level through by FY2007, with funding split at 60% for livestock and 40% for crops. Also reauthorized are the wildlife habitat incentives program, with annual funding gradually increased to $85 million; and the farmland protection program, with annual funding gradually increased to $125 million. CRS-3 The law creates a new 2 million acre grasslands reserve program, with CCC funds of up to $254 million over FY2003-07, and a new conservation security program providing incentive payments to farmers who adopt and maintain specified conservation practices on working lands, at an estimated cost of $187 million over FY2003-07. It provides $275 million over 6 years to rehabilitate small, aging watershed impoundments. Trade (Title III) The new farm bill reauthorizes the market access program through FY2007, gradually increasing annual funding to $200 million by FY2006, and the foreign market development cooperator program, at $34.5 million annually. The law reauthorizes, at current levels, the export enhancement program, (and, in the commodity title, Title I) the dairy export incentive program. It continues, also at current levels, CCC export credit guarantees (the so-called GSM programs). The measure reauthorizes P.L. 480 (the Food for Peace program). It eliminates the annual $1 billion cap on Title II spending (commodity donations for humanitarian and development activities), and increases the minimum level of Title II commodities to 2.5 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 million metric tons per year, among other program changes. Food for Progress is reauthorized with increased funding caps, and minimum annual quantity at 400,000 metric tons. The law authorizes the President to establish the "McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program" providing U.S. agricultural commodities and financial and technical assistance for foreign preschool and school feeding programs and for pregnant and nursing women and young children, with funding mandated at $100 million in FY2003 and subject to appropriation in FY2004-2007. Other reauthorized programs include the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, the emerging markets, and farmer-to-farmer programs.. Under Title X, retailers, in 2 years, must provide country-of-origin information for meats, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and peanuts; the program is voluntary until then. Nutrition Programs (Title IV) The law reauthorizes the food stamp program through FY2007, also making such changes as: expanded eligibility for noncitizens; increased benefits for larger households; extensive state options to conform food stamp rules to other aid programs, simplify program operations, and enhance client access; "transitional" benefits for those leaving cash welfare; and new systems for state "quality control" with eased penalties and bonuses for high performance. It reauthorizes the emergency food assistance program, nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico and American Samoa, the commodity supplemental food program, and nutrition assistance on reservations, adding funding for some of them. Credit (Title V) The law establishes authorized funding levels for USDA farm credit programs (authorized by the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act) for FY2003-07. Provisions aim to improve access to such loans, particularly for beginning farmers and ranchers. For example, the law will provide for 2 additional years of eligibility for loans once a borrower has reached the current maximum years of eligibility; and new loans for CRS-4 borrowers with one-time debt forgiveness if delinquency was caused by a natural disaster. Several changes also are made in the privately owned and operated Farm Credit System. Rural Development (Title VI) The farm bill provides $870 million in mandatory authorizations, (total, FY2002- 07), for a number of new rural development programs. Other authorized programs and initiatives are subject to annual discretionary appropriations. Among the rural development initiatives are value-added agricultural market development grants, rural broadcast and broadband services, rural and regional planning, funding for backlogged water and sewer applications, the Rural Business Investment Program, and Rural Strategic Investment Program. The 1996 farm bill had created the Fund for Rural America, which the new law does not continue, and the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP), which it does reauthorize (except, the National Reserve Account and the Rural Venture Capital Demonstration Program are eliminated). Research and Related Matters (Title VII) http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 P.L. 107-171 reauthorizes university research and state cooperative extension programs at such sums as necessary through FY2007. It reauthorizes the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (a competitive grants program on critical emerging issues and high-priority research), gradually increasing annual funding authorizations to $200 million annually by FY2006. The law authorizes such sums as necessary for a competitive grants program to construct and upgrade security at public university facilities conducting counter-terrorism research, and for research and extension to improve bio- terrorism prevention, preparedness, and response. Funding is increased for research programs at the 1890 colleges, among other research program changes. Forestry (Title VIII) A new Forest Land Enhancement Program provides $100 million (total) to assist private forest landowners to adopt sustainable forest management practices. A new program to help local governments fight wildfires is among other provisions in the title. Energy (Title IX) A new energy title extends, with mandatory funding, the CCC bioenergy program; establishes new programs for federal purchases of bio-based products and education on biodiesel fuel benefits; establishes new and expanded loan and grant programs to assist farmers in purchasing renewable energy systems and improving energy efficiency; and reauthorizes and funds the Biomass Research and Development Act through FY2007. Miscellaneous (Title X) The miscellaneous title of the bill covers a wide range of programs and issues. For example, it: overhauls virtually all animal health protection laws administered by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; creates a national organic certification cost-share program and new farmers market promotion program; increases the annual authorization of appropriations for outreach for socially disadvantaged CRS-5 farmers, from $10 million to $25 million; establishes a new USDA Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; makes it illegal under certain instances to transport animals for fighting; exempts research rats, birds, and mice from the Animal Welfare Act; provides $94 million in 2000 crop market loss assistance for apple growers; creates a biotechnology education program; and addresses several "agricultural competition" issues by extending to contract hog producers the same statutory protections provided through USDA to livestock sellers and poultry growers and by clarifying that animal producers with contracts can discuss their terms with advisors and with government agencies. Six-Year Cost Estimates (2002-20007) Budget Authority in Million Dollars, March 2002 Baseline Baseline New Spending Total Projected Spending Commodity Support 61,337 37,587 98,924 Conservation 12,075 9,198 21,273 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 Trade 1,572 532 2,104 Nutrition (a) 146,820 2,793 149,613 Rural Development 160 870 1,030 Research 240 520 760 Forestry 0 85 85 Energy 0 405 405 Other Provisions (b) 0 (303) (303) Total, 6 years 222,204 51,687 273,891 Source: CRS compilation of Congressional Budget Office data. For more discussion, see What Is the Cost of the 2002 Farm Bill? in the CRS Agriculture Policy and Farm bill Briefing Book. (a) Farm bill changes to nutrition spending include changes to food stamps, the emergency food assistance program, and child nutrition programs, as well as new spending for demonstration programs. Child nutrition programs are not included in baseline, since their reauthorization is not addressed by the farm bill. (b) "Other Provisions" in the farm bill primarily consist of savings associated with the federal crop insurance program. However, crop insurance is not included in the baseline, since the reauthorization of the program is not part of the farm bill. For More Information ! More extensive materials, including links to other sites and resources, can be found in the CRS Electronic Briefing Book on Agriculture Policy and the Farm Bill. ! USDA has an extensive website on the new farm bill, including its own side-by-side comparison of previous and new law. ! The text and summary of the new farm bill are posted on the websites of the House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee. CRS-6 Selected Talking Points Following are some of the arguments offered in debate over the final new measure. CRS takes no position on these or any other views. The new farm bill: (PRO) (CON) Will address continuing economic Will worsen farmers' economic situation problems including lowest real net farm by inflating land values (especially for the cash income since 1930s and 5th straight 42% of farmers who rent land), and year of low prices; without it, farm income stimulating overproduction, causing farm and land values will plunge. prices and incomes to decline further. Maintains market orientation by giving Maintains outmoded commodity-oriented farmers flexibility to plant crops based on policies, where major subsidies are tied to market signals, unbound by most prices of just a few major row crops. This, government-imposed supply controls or plus target prices and loan rates well above supply management; market prices and market prices will continue to distort production will be minimally impacted. production and prices. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS21233 Is balanced regionally, helping both Provides the largest benefits to just a southern and northern tier crops, and handful of farm belt states; 75% of all spreading dairy benefits nationwide. payments will go to just 13 states. Fully complies with the FY2002 budget Was enacted as a newer baseline shows resolution permitting the expenditure of the U.S. budget deficit worsening. New, another $73.5 billion in direct spending lower commodity price forecasts also mean over 10 years (above April 2001 baseline). this bill will cost much more than $73.5 It provides no more in subsidies than under billion, which could make it the most the 1996 farm law as supplemented by expensive farm bill in history at a time of subsequent emergency farm aid. other more pressing national priorities. Complies with trade obligations. A new Has features that will be viewed by other "circuit breaker" requires cuts in trade- countries as violating U.S. obligations. distorting subsidies so that their annual The limit likely will be breached, and the $19.1 billion limit is not breached. It also "circuit breaker" will be administratively places the U.S. in a stronger position to and politically infeasible to employ. It negotiate new agricultural trade reforms: undermines U.S. negotiating credibility, the U.S. will not unilaterally cut its own including the U.S. stated position that support until others do so ­ whether they subsidies should be reduced worldwide. are domestic supports, or import barriers Many countries sharply criticize the new (foreign agricultural tariffs average 62% U.S. law, and are considering increases in compared to 12% for the U.S.). their own subsidies and import barriers. Is the largest investment in conservation Spends four times as much money on in recent farm bill history ­ a new $17.1 commodity price support as on billion, 80% over baseline. conservation. Will help stimulate rural economies by Will help few rural areas. Only a small spreading farm payments through rural portion of rural counties have agricultural economies but also by adding $870 million bases, and in those, farm benefits do not for innovative rural development. generate good jobs and long-term growth.