This part hands out up to 30 million new base acres to farms. Base acres are what farm payments are worked out from. A farm qualifies if its planted acres over five years beat its current base acres. Owners get notice and can turn the acres down. If farms ask for too many, every farm is cut back by the same share.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“the Secretary shall provide notice to owners of eligible farms pursuant to paragraph (3) and allocate to those eligible farms a total of not more than an additional 30,000,000 base acres in the manner provided in this subsection.”
The section adds a new subsection (e) to section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9012) requiring the Secretary, as soon as practicable after enactment and notwithstanding subsection (a), to notify owners of eligible farms and to allocate to them no more than 30,000,000 additional base acres in all.
What the document actually says
“the Secretary shall provide notice to owners of eligible farms pursuant to paragraph (3) and allocate to those eligible farms a total of not more than an additional 30,000,000 base acres in the manner provided in this subsection.”
That sentence, in plain words
The Secretary must write to the owners of farms that qualify. The Secretary must then hand out new base acres. No more than 30 million may be handed out in all.
What this is about
Base acres are the acres a farm payment is worked out from. More base acres can mean bigger payments. The 30 million figure is a hard ceiling.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“The notice under paragraph (1) shall include the following:”
The section requires the notice to say that the allocation is occurring, to give information on whether the farm is eligible under paragraph (3), and to explain how an owner may appeal a finding of ineligibility through an appeals process the Secretary sets up.
What the document actually says
“The notice under paragraph (1) shall include the following:”
That sentence, in plain words
The notice must carry certain things. The list that follows says what they are.
What this is about
It must say that acres are being handed out. It must say if the farm qualifies. It must say how to appeal a no.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “can”Who acts: owners of eligible farmsHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“An owner of a farm that is eligible to receive an allocation of base acres may elect to not receive that allocation by notifying the Secretary not later than 90 days after receipt of the notice provided by the Secretary under this paragraph.”
The section lets the owner of an eligible farm decline the allocation by telling the Secretary within 90 days of receiving the notice.
What the document actually says
“An owner of a farm that is eligible to receive an allocation of base acres may elect to not receive that allocation by notifying the Secretary not later than 90 days after receipt of the notice provided by the Secretary under this paragraph.”
That sentence, in plain words
An owner may say no to the new acres. The owner must tell the Secretary within 90 days. The clock starts when the notice arrives.
What this is about
Taking the acres is not forced. Saying nothing means taking them. The choice belongs to the owner, not the farmer renting the land.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall apply”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“effective beginning with the 2026 crop year, a farm is eligible to receive an allocation of base acres if, with respect to the farm, the amount described in subparagraph (B) exceeds the amount described in subparagraph (C).”
The section makes a farm eligible from the 2026 crop year where a five-year average sum exceeds the farm's total base acres for covered commodities, excluding unassigned crop base, as in effect on September 30, 2024. The five-year average sum is the 2019 through 2023 average of acreage planted to covered commodities for harvest, grazing, haying, silage or similar purposes plus acreage that could not be planted because of drought, flood, other natural disaster or another condition beyond the producers' control, plus the lesser of 15 percent of the farm's total acres and the same five-year average worked out for eligible noncovered commodities.
What the document actually says
“effective beginning with the 2026 crop year, a farm is eligible to receive an allocation of base acres if, with respect to the farm, the amount described in subparagraph (B) exceeds the amount described in subparagraph (C).”
That sentence, in plain words
From the 2026 crop year a farm may get new acres. It qualifies where one figure beats another. The two figures are set out below.
What this is about
The first figure counts what was planted from 2019 to 2023. It also counts land that floods or drought kept from being planted. The second figure is the farm's base acres as of September 30, 2024.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“In the case of a farm for which the amount determined under clause (i) of subparagraph (B) is equal to zero, that farm shall be ineligible to receive an allocation of base acres under this subsection.”
The section makes a farm ineligible where the five-year average of acreage planted, or prevented from being planted, to covered commodities in the 2019 through 2023 crop years comes to zero.
What the document actually says
“In the case of a farm for which the amount determined under clause (i) of subparagraph (B) is equal to zero, that farm shall be ineligible to receive an allocation of base acres under this subsection.”
That sentence, in plain words
Some farms get nothing at all. Those are farms where one figure comes to zero.
What this is about
That figure counts covered crops planted from 2019 to 2023. A farm that grew none of them scores zero. Other crops do not help it here.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“be equal to the difference obtained by subtracting the amount determined under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3) from the amount determined under subparagraph (B) of that paragraph; and”
The section sets the number of base acres allocated to an eligible farm at the five-year average sum minus the farm's existing base acres for covered commodities, and provides that the allocation includes unassigned crop base. It is made subject to the eligibility rules and to the rule on new owners.
What the document actually says
“be equal to the difference obtained by subtracting the amount determined under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3) from the amount determined under subparagraph (B) of that paragraph; and”
That sentence, in plain words
Take the first figure and subtract the second. What is left is the number of new acres.
What this is about
The gap between the two figures is the award. Unassigned crop base is counted in as well. The result can be trimmed by later rules.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretary shall allocate the number of base acres under paragraph (4) among those covered commodities planted on the farm at any time during the 2019 through 2023 crop years.”
The section splits the new acres among the covered commodities planted on the farm at any time in the 2019 through 2023 crop years, in proportion to each crop's five-year average of planted and prevented planted acreage against the farm's overall five-year average. The Secretary may not drop a crop year in which a covered commodity was not planted. Where acreage was devoted to another covered commodity in the same crop year, other than under an established double cropping practice, the owner may elect which crop counts but may not count both. The allocation may not leave a farm with more base acres than it has acres.
What the document actually says
“The Secretary shall allocate the number of base acres under paragraph (4) among those covered commodities planted on the farm at any time during the 2019 through 2023 crop years.”
That sentence, in plain words
The new acres are split among the crops on the farm. Only crops grown from 2019 to 2023 count.
What this is about
Each crop's share follows how much of it was planted. A year with no planting still counts as a year. A farm may never hold more base acres than acres.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“the Secretary shall apply an across-the-board, pro-rata reduction to the number of eligible acres to ensure the number of allocated base acres under this subsection is equal to 30,000,000 acres.”
The section requires the Secretary, where the total eligible acres allocated across all farms in the United States would exceed 30,000,000, to apply an across the board pro rata reduction so that the total allocated comes to 30,000,000 acres.
What the document actually says
“the Secretary shall apply an across-the-board, pro-rata reduction to the number of eligible acres to ensure the number of allocated base acres under this subsection is equal to 30,000,000 acres.”
That sentence, in plain words
The Secretary must cut every award by the same share. That brings the total back to 30 million acres.
What this is about
Pro rata means each farm loses the same fraction. No farm is picked out. The cut happens only if the total runs over.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“Beginning with crop year 2026, for the purpose of making price loss coverage payments under section 1116, the Secretary shall establish payment yields to base acres allocated under this subsection equal to--”
The section requires the Secretary, from crop year 2026, to set payment yields for the newly allocated base acres equal to the payment yield already established on the farm for that covered commodity, or, where none exists, to the county average payment yield for that commodity or a yield determined under section 1113(c) of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
What the document actually says
“Beginning with crop year 2026, for the purpose of making price loss coverage payments under section 1116, the Secretary shall establish payment yields to base acres allocated under this subsection equal to--”
That sentence, in plain words
From crop year 2026 the Secretary must set a yield for the new acres. That yield feeds into price loss payments.
What this is about
A payment yield is the crop per acre a payment assumes. The farm's own yield is used first. If it has none, the county average is used.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10302 in the PDF
What the document says
“the Secretary shall use the planting history of the prior owner or owners of that farm for purposes of determining--”
The section requires the Secretary, where the owner on the date of enactment did not own the farm during the 2019 through 2023 crop years, to use the prior owner or owners' planting history in deciding eligibility, the number of eligible acres, and how the acres are split among crops.
What the document actually says
“the Secretary shall use the planting history of the prior owner or owners of that farm for purposes of determining--”
That sentence, in plain words
The Secretary must look at what the last owner planted. That history is used for the tests that follow.
What this is about
A farm sold since 2023 is not shut out. The land's own record carries over. It decides whether the farm qualifies and for how much.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Each distinct thing the new subsection does: the notice and the 30,000,000 acre cap, the owner's right to decline, the eligibility test and its 2026 start, the bar on farms with no recent plantings of covered commodities, how many acres a farm gets, how they are split among crops and capped at the farm's own acreage, the across-the-board reduction if the total runs over, the payment yields set for the new acres, and the use of a prior owner's planting history.
The date substitution in subsection (d)(3)(A), which strikes 2023 and inserts 2031. The definition of acreage planted to eligible noncovered commodities and the rule on double cropping are carried in summaries rather than recorded as separate proposals.
The section works by adding a subsection to section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, which is not indexed here, so what base acres do elsewhere in that Act, and the payment yield rules in section 1113(c) it points to, cannot be checked against anything on this site.
