7 U.S.C. § 1446 - Price support levels for designated nonbasic agricultural commodities

• Cite as: 7 U.S.C. § 1446

(a) The Secretary is authorized and directed to make available (without regard to the provisions of sections 1447 to 1449 of this title) price support to producers for oilseeds (including soybeans, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, and such other oilseeds as the Secretary may determine), sunflower seeds, honey, milk, sugar beets, and sugarcane in accordance with this subchapter.

(b) The price of honey shall be supported through loans, purchases, or other operations at a level not in excess of 90 per centum nor less than 60 per centum of the parity price thereof; and the price of tung nuts for each crop of tung nuts through the 1976 crop shall be supported through loans, purchases, or other operations at a level not in excess of 90 per centum nor less than 60 per centum of the parity price therefor: Provided, That in any crop year through the 1976 crop year in which the Secretary determines that the domestic production of tung oil will be less than the anticipated domestic demand for such oil, the price of tung nuts shall be supported at not less than 65 per centum of the parity price therefor.

(c) Except as provided in section 1446e ¹ of this title, the price of milk shall be supported at such level not in excess of 90 per centum nor less than 75 per centum of the parity price therefor as the Secretary determines necessary in order to assure an adequate supply of pure and wholesome milk to meet current needs, reflect changes in the cost of production, and assure a level of farm income adequate to maintain productive capacity sufficient to meet anticipated future needs. Such price support shall be provided through the purchase of milk and the products of milk.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law-

(1)

(A) During the period beginning on January 1, 1986, and ending on December 31, 1990, the price of milk shall be supported as provided in this subsection.

(B) During the period beginning on January 1, 1986, and ending on December 31, 1986, the price of milk shall be supported at a rate equal to $11.60 per hundredweight for milk containing 3.67 percent milkfat.

(C)

(i) During the period beginning on January 1, 1987, and ending on September 30, 1987, the price of milk shall be supported at a rate equal to $11.35 per hundredweight for milk containing 3.67 percent milkfat.

(ii) Except as provided in subparagraph (D), during the period beginning on October 1, 1987, and ending on December 31, 1990, the price of milk shall be supported at a rate equal to $11.10 per hundredweight for milk containing 3.67 percent milkfat.

(D)

(i) Subject to clause (ii), if for each of the calendar years 1988 and 1990, the level of purchases of milk and the products of milk under this subsection (less sales under section 1427 of this title for unrestricted use), as estimated by the Secretary on January 1 of such calendar year, will exceed 5,000,000,000 pounds (milk equivalent), on January 1 of such calendar year, the Secretary shall reduce by 50 cents the rate of price support for milk as in effect on such date.

(ii) The rate of price support for milk may not be reduced under clause (i) unless-

(I) the milk production termination program under paragraph (3) achieved a reduction in the production of milk by participants in the program of at least 12,000,000,000 pounds during the 18 months of the program; or

(II) the Secretary submits to Congress a certification, including a statement of facts in support of the certification of the Secretary, that reasonable contract offers were extended by the Secretary under such program but such offers were not accepted by a sufficient number of producers making reasonable bids for contracts to achieve such a reduction in production.

(E) If for any of the calendar years 1988, 1989, and 1990, the level of purchases of milk and the products of milk under this subsection (less sales under section 1427 of this title for unrestricted use), as estimated by the Secretary on January 1 of such calendar year, will not exceed 2,500,000,000 pounds (milk equivalent), the Secretary shall increase by 50 cents the rate of price support for milk in effect on such date.

(F) The price of milk shall be supported through the purchase of milk and the products of milk.

(2)

(A) Beginning after March 31, 1986, the Secretary shall provide for a reduction to be made in the price received by producers for all milk produced in the United States and marketed by producers for commercial use.

(B) Except as provided in subparagraphs (E) and (F), the amount of the reduction under subparagraph (A) in the price received by producers shall be-

(i) the period beginning on April 1, 1986, and ending on December 31, 1986, 40 cents per hundredweight of milk marketed; and

(ii) during the first 9 months of 1987, 25 cents per hundredweight of milk marketed.

(C) The funds represented by the reduction in price, required under this paragraph to be applied to the marketings of milk by a producer, shall be collected and remitted to the Commodity Credit Corporation, at such time and in such manner as prescribed by the Secretary, by each person making payment to a producer for milk purchased from such producer, except that in the case of a producer who markets milk of the producer's own production directly to consumers, such funds shall be remitted directly to the Corporation by such producer.

(D) The funds remitted to the Corporation under this paragraph shall be considered as included in the payments to a producer of milk for purposes of the minimum price provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act ( 7 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.

(E)

(i) In lieu of any reductions in payments made by the Secretary for the purchase of milk and the products of milk under this subsection during the period beginning March 1, 1986, and ending September 30, 1986, required under the order issued by the President on February 1, 1986, under section 252 ¹ of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 ( Public Law 99-177) [ 2 U.S.C. 902 ], the Secretary shall increase the amount of the reduction required under subparagraph (A) during the period beginning April 1, 1986, and ending September 30, 1986, as the sole means of meeting any reductions required under the order in payments made by the Secretary for the purchase of milk and the products of milk under this subsection.

(ii) The aggregate amount of any increased reduction under clause (i) shall be equal, to the extent practicable, to the aggregate amount of the reduction that would otherwise be required under the order referred to in clause (i) in payments made by the Secretary for the purchase of milk and the products of milk under this subsection during the period beginning March 1, 1986, and ending September 30, 1986, except that the amount of any increased reduction under clause (i) may not exceed 12 cents per hundredweight of milk marketed.

(F)

(i) The Secretary-

(I) notwithstanding the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and any order issued by the President under section 252 ¹ of such Act [ 2 U.S.C. 902 ] for a fiscal year; and

(II) in lieu of making any reduction in payments for the purchase of milk or the products of milk under this subsection during such fiscal year under any such order;

shall provide for the reduction (measured in cents per hundredweight of milk marketed) under subparagraph (A) during the period beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30 of such fiscal year as the sole means of achieving any reduction in budget outlays under the milk price-support program that otherwise would be required under either such order and only for the purpose of substituting for any reduction in payments made by the Secretary for the purchase of milk or the products of milk under either such order.

(ii) The aggregate amount of any reduction under subparagraph (A) resulting from the operation of clause (i) may not exceed the aggregate amount of the reduction in budget outlays under the milk price-support program, as estimated by the Secretary, that otherwise would have been achieved under either such order by reducing payments made by the Secretary for the purchase of milk or the products of milk under this subsection during such fiscal year.

(F) ² During calendar year 1988, the Secretary shall provide for a reduction of 2½ cents per hundredweight to be made in the price received by producers for all milk produced in the United States and marketed by producers for commercial use.

(3)

(A)

(i) The Secretary shall establish and carry out under this paragraph a milk production termination program for the 18-month period beginning April 1, 1986.

(ii) Under the milk production termination program required under this subparagraph, the Secretary, at the request of any producer of milk in the United States who submits to the Secretary a bid, may offer to enter into a contract with the producer for the purpose of terminating the production of milk by the producer in return for a payment to be made by the Secretary.

(iii) For the 18-month period for which the milk production termination program under this subparagraph is in effect, the Secretary shall-

(I) as soon as practicable, determine the total number of dairy cattle the Secretary estimates will be marketed for slaughter as a result of such program; and

(II) by regulation specify marketing procedures to ensure that greater numbers of dairy cattle slaughtered as a result of the production termination program provided for in this section shall be slaughtered in each of the periods of April through August 1986, and March through August 1987 than for the other months of the program. Such procedures also shall ensure that such sales of dairy cattle for slaughter shall occur on a basis estimated by the Secretary that maintains historical seasonal marketing patterns. During such 18-month period, the Secretary shall limit the total number of dairy cattle marketed for slaughter under the program in excess of the historical dairy herd culling rate to no more than 7 percent of the national dairy herd per calendar year.