Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/959

 PUBLIC LAW 95-113—SEPT. 29, 1977

91 STAT. 925

payment yield for wheat was established for the farm in the previous crop year, the Secretary is authorized to determine such yield as the Secretary finds fair and reasonable. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subsection, in the determination of yields, the Secretary shall take into account the actual yields proved by the producer, and neither such yields nor the farm program payment yield estabished on the basis of such yields shall be reduced under other provisions of this subsection. If the Secretary determines it necessary, the Secretary may establish national. State, or county program payment yields on the basis of historical yields, as adjusted by the Secretary to correct for abnormal factors affecting such yields in the historical period, or, if such data are not available, on the Secretary's estimate of actual yields for the crop year involved. In the event national, State, or county" program payment yields are established, the farm program payment yields shall balance to the national, State, or county program payment yields. "(f)(1) The Secretary shall provide for a set-aside of cropland if Cropland setthe Secretary determines that the total supply of wheat will, in the aside. absence of such a set-aside, likely be excessive taking into account the need for an adequate carryover to maintain reasonable and stable supplies and prices and to meet a national emergency. The Secretary shall Announcement. announce any such set-aside not later than August 15 prior to the year in which the crop is harvested, except that in the case of the 1978 crop, the announcement shall be made as soon as practicable after enactment of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977. If a set-aside of cropland is in effect under this subsection, then as a condition of eligibility for loans, purchases, and payments authorized by this section, the producers on a farm must set aside and devote to conservation uses an acreage of cropland equal to a specified percentage, as determined by the Secretary, of the acreage of wheat planted for harvest for the crop year for which the set-aside is in effect. The Secretary may limit Acreage the acreage planted to wheat. Such limitation shall be applied on a limitation. uniform basis to all wheat-producing farms. The set-aside acreage shall be devoted to conservation uses, in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary, which will assure protection of such acreage from weeds and wind and water erosion; however, the Secretary may permit, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, all or any part of the set-aside acreage to be devoted to sweet sorghum, hay, and grazing or the production of guar, sesame, safflower, sunflower, castor beans, mustard seed, crambe, plantago ovato, flaxseed, triticale, oats, rye, or other commodity, if the Secretary determines that such production is needed to provide an adequate supply, is not likely to increase the cost of the price support program, and will not adversely affect farm income. " (2) The Secretary may make land diversion payments to producers Land diversion of wheat, whether or not a set-aside for wheat is in effect, if the Secre- payments. tary determines that such land diversion payments are necessary to assist in adjusting the total national acreage of wheat to desirable goals. Such land diversion payments shall be made to producers on a Contacts, bids farm who, to the extent prescribed by the Secretary, devote to approved conservation uses an acreage of cropland on the farm in accordance wnth land diversion contracts entered into by the Secretary with such producers. The amounts payable to producers under land diversion contracts may be determined through the submission of bids for such contracts by producers in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe or through such other means as the Secretary determines

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