Statement of managers - Planting flexibility

The conference farm bill has a fairly large allowance for planting f/v's on program crop ground, so specialty crop growers may be facing some unknowns with this provision. From the House Web site, the farm bill conference statement of managers from the commodity title on planting flexibility:




(8) Planting Flexibility
The House bill is the same as current law, but it includes peanuts and establishes a pilot Farm Flex project in Indiana for the 2008-2012 crop years, under which tomatoes for processing may be planted on up to 10,000 base acres. (Section 1106) The Senate amendment is the same as current law, except provides an exception for mung beans and pulse crops and provides a pilot flexibility project in Indiana for the 2008 and 2009 crop years. (Section 1106) The Conference substitute provides that mung beans and pulse crops can be planted on base acres, and provides a pilot project to allow the production of specified fruits or vegetables for processing for the 2009-2012 crop years on up to 9,000 base acre in the State of Illinois; 9,000 base acres in the State of Indiana; 1,000 base acres in the State of Iowa; 9,000 base acres in the State of Michigan; 34,000 base acres in the State of Minnesota; 4,000 base acres in the State of Ohio; and 9,000 base acres in the State of Wisconsin; that base acres will be protected; and that the Secretary will evaluate the effects of the pilot project on the supply and demand of fresh fruits and vegetables and fruits and vegetables for processing. The Conference substitute adopts the Senate structure for the peanut program. (Sections 1107 and 1306) The Managers expect the Secretary to establish a process to ensure that the quantity of fruits or vegetables delivered for processing under the pilot project does not exceed the quantity reflected in the original contract between the producer and the processor. The Managers further expect the Secretary to seek evidence that the amount of fruits or vegetables planted for processing under this pilot project is delivered to the processing facility or in the case of crop loss is determined by the Secretary to have been destroyed. In evaluating the effects of the program on the supply of and price of fresh fruits and vegetables and fruits and vegetables for processing, the Managers encourage the Secretary to examine the impact of the program on bonus buys under the authority of Section 46 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 and surplus removal under the authority of Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935. The Managers recognize the importance of assessing the impact of the expansion of the planting flexibility pilot program upon specialty crop producers. For greater efficiency, the Managers expect the Secretary to include the information and evaluations derived from Section 1101(d)(3) and Section 1302(d)(3) into the report required under this Section prior to its submission to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry of the Senate.