Planting flexibility

I see that the commodity title discussion draft from the House Ag Committee retains the fruit and vegetable restrictions on flex acres, with one exception.

Here is the exception, a pilot program in Indiana:


d) PLANTING TRANSFERABILITY PILOT PROJECT.— (1) PILOT PROJECT AUTHORIZED.—In addition to the exceptions provided in subsection (c), the Secretary shall carry out a pilot project in the State of Indiana under which paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub16
section (b) shall not limit the planting of tomatoes grown for processing on up to 10,000 base acres during each of the 2008 through 2012 crop years. (2) CONTRACT AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS.— To be eligible for selection to participate in the pilot project, a producer must— (A) have a contract to grow tomatoes for processing; and (B) agree to produce the tomatoes as part of a program of crop rotation on the farm to achieve agronomic and pest and disease management benefits. (3) TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN BASE ACRES.— The base acres on a farm for a crop year shall be reduced by an acre for each acre planted to tomatoes under the pilot program. (4) DURATION OF REDUCTIONS.—The reduction in the base acres of a farm for a crop year under paragraph (3) shall expire at the end of the crop year, unless the producers on the farm elect to continue to participate in the pilot project for the subsequent crop year. (5) RECALCULATION OF BASE ACRES.—If the Secretary recalculates base acres for a farm while the farm is included in the pilot project, the planting and production of tomatoes under the pilot project shall be considered to be the same as the planting, prevented planting, or production of a covered commodity. Nothing in this paragraph provides authority for the Secretary to recalculate base acres for a farm. SEC. 1106. PERIOD OF EFFECTIVENESS. This subtitle shall be effective beginning with the 2008 crop year of each covered commodity through the 2012 crop year.


TK: This is a rather large exception, and probably appeases the most strident processor critic in Indiana. It seems to me carve-out pilot program can only lead to a weakening and eventual end of the f/v planting restriction.