The Secretary shall provide the price support authorized or required herein through the Commodity Credit Corporation and other means available to him.

Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the amounts, terms, and conditions of price support operations and the extent to which such operations are carried out, shall be determined or approved by the Secretary. The following factors shall be taken into consideration in determining, in the case of any commodity for which price support is discretionary, whether a price-support operation shall be undertaken and the level of such support and, in the case of any commodity for which price support is mandatory, the level of support in excess of the minimum level prescribed for such commodity: (1) the supply of the commodity in relation to the demand therefor, (2) the price levels at which other commodities are being supported and, in the case of feed grains, the feed values of such grains in relation to corn, (3) the availability of funds, (4) the perishability of the commodity, (5) the importance of the commodity to agriculture and the national economy, (6) the ability to dispose of stocks acquired through a price-support operation, (7) the need for offsetting temporary losses of export markets, (8) the ability and willingness of producers to keep supplies in line with demand and (9), in the case of upland cotton, changes in the cost of producing such cotton.

Compliance by the producer with acreage allotments, production goals and marketing practices (including marketing quotas when authorized by law), prescribed by the Secretary, may be required as a condition of eligibility for price support. In administering any program for diverted acres the Secretary may make his regulations applicable on an appropriate geographical basis. Such regulations shall be administered (1) in semiarid or other areas where good husbandry requires maintenance of a prudent feed reserve in such manner as to permit, to the extent so required by good husbandry, the production of forage crops for storage and subsequent use either on the farm or in feeding operations of the farm operator, and (2) in areas declared to be disaster areas by the President under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act [42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.], in such manner as will most quickly restore the normal pattern of their agriculture.

The level of price support for any commodity shall be determined upon the basis of its parity price as of the beginning of the marketing year or season in the case of any commodity marketed on a marketing year or season basis and as of January 1 in the case of any other commodity.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct an annual study of the financial impact of the support levels established and announced by the Secretary under programs contained in the Agricultural Act of 1949 [7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.] (hereafter in this section referred to as “programs”), including a study of the effect of the support levels on the ability of producers to meet their financial obligations (with special emphasis on borrowers from the Farmers Home Administration and the Farm Credit System).

The Secretary shall annually prepare a report containing the results of the study and submit the report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, not later than the date of the final announcement for the programs by the Secretary for any 1 year.

The study under this section (including the study of the effect of the support levels on the ability of producers to meet their financial obligations) shall be only for informational purposes and for Congressional oversight and shall not give rise to any cause of action, be a basis for, or be used as evidence in support of, any claim or right of any person, including farmers and borrowers, in any administrative or judicial proceeding.

The Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall gather data from producers to be used to develop crop reports to be distributed by the Secretary during the growing season. The report shall contain statements of the conditions of those crops by State, with such explanations, comparisons, and information as may be useful for illustrating such reports.

The Secretary shall survey producers for information for reports regarding fruit and nut tree inventories. Such surveys and reports shall be conducted, printed, and distributed on a regular basis every 3 to 5 years as determined by the Secretary. Reports shall be submitted to and officially approved by the Secretary before being issued or published.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

The Secretary may make appropriate adjustments in the support price for any commodity (excluding cotton) for differences in grade, type, quality, location and other factors. The adjustments shall, so far as practicable, be made in such manner that the average support price for the commodity will, on the basis of the anticipated incidence of such factors be equal to the level of support determined as provided in this Act. Beginning with the 1991 crops of wheat, feed grains, and soybeans for which price support is provided under this Act, the Secretary shall establish premiums and discounts related to cleanliness factors in addition to any other premiums or discounts related to quality.

The Secretary may make appropriate adjustments in the support price for cotton for differences in quality factors and location. Beginning with the 1991 crop, the quality differences (premiums and discounts for quality factors) for the upland cotton loan program shall be established by the Secretary by giving equal weight to (1) loan differences for the preceding crop, and (2) market differences for such crop in the designated United States spot markets.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, for each of the 1990 through 1995 crops of wheat and feed grains, no adjustment in the loan rate applicable to a particular region, State, or county for the purpose of reflecting transportation differentials may increase or decrease the regional, State, or county loan rate from the level established for the previous year by more than the percentage change in the national average loan rate plus or minus 3 percent.

Except as otherwise provided in section 1425a of this title, no producer shall be personally liable for any deficiency arising from the sale of the collateral securing any loan made under authority of this Act unless such loan was obtained through fraudulent representations by the producer. This provision shall not, however, be construed to prevent the Commodity Credit Corporation or the Secretary from requiring producers to assume liability for deficiencies in the grade, quality, or quantity of commodities stored on the farm or delivered by them, for failure properly to care for and preserve commodities, or for failure or refusal to deliver commodities in accordance with the requirements of the program. There is authorized to be included in the terms and conditions of any such nonrecourse loan a provision whereby on and after the maturity of the loan or any extension thereof Commodity Credit Corporation shall have the right to acquire title to the unredeemed collateral without obligation to pay for any market value which such collateral may have in excess of the loan indebtedness.

The security interests obtained by the Commodity Credit Corporation as a result of the execution of security agreements by the processors of sugarcane and sugar beets shall be superior to all statutory and common law liens on raw cane sugar and refined beet sugar in favor of the producers of sugarcane and sugar beets and all prior recorded and unrecorded liens on the crops of sugarcane and sugar beets from which the sugar was derived. The preceding sentence shall not affect the application of section 1421(e)(2) of this title.

A producer of honey may satisfy the producer’s obligation to repay a loan, or a portion of a loan, made to the producer under section 1446h 1

The producer of honey shall be personally liable for the repayment of a loan or loans made to the producer under the program for the crop of honey involved, with respect to that portion of the loan or loans for which satisfaction of the loan by forfeiture, as provided in subsection (a), is prohibited.

The loan contracts of the Commodity Credit Corporation entered into with producers of honey shall clearly indicate the extent to which a producer of honey may be personally liable for repayment of a loan under this section.

The Commodity Credit Corporation may issue such regulations as the Corporation deems necessary to carry out this section. The regulations shall provide for the attribution of the value of collateral forfeited on loans described in subsection (a).

The Commodity Credit Corporation may sell any farm commodity owned or controlled by the Corporation at any price not prohibited by this section.

In determining sales policies for basic agricultural commodities or storable nonbasic commodities, the Corporation should consider the establishment of such policies with respect to prices, terms, and conditions as the Corporation determines will not discourage or deter manufacturers, processors, and dealers from acquiring and carrying normal inventories of the commodity of the current crop.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall establish minimum quality standards that shall apply to grain that is deposited for storage for the account of the Commodity Credit Corporation. In establishing such standards, the Secretary shall take into consideration factors related to the ability of grain to withstand storage and assurance of acceptable end-use performance.

The Commodity Credit Corporation shall utilize Federal Grain Inspection Service approved procedures to inspect and evaluate the condition of the grain it acquires from producers. In no case shall this section require the use of an official inspection unless the producer so requests.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture may under the provisions of this Act establish, maintain, and dispose of a separate reserve of inventories of not to exceed 75 million bushels of wheat, feed grains, and soybeans for the purpose of alleviating distress caused by a natural disaster.

Such reserve inventories may include such quantities of grain that the Secretary deems needed to provide for the alleviation of distress as the result of a natural disaster.

The Secretary may acquire such commodities through the price support program. However, if the Secretary determines that no wheat, feed grains, or soybeans are available through the price support program at locations where they may be economically utilized to alleviate distress caused by a natural disaster, the Secretary is authorized to purchase through the facilities of the Commodity Credit Corporation such wheat, feed grains, soybeans, hay, or other livestock forages as the Secretary deems necessary for disposition in accordance with the authority provided in subsection (d) of this section. The Secretary may acquire wheat, feed grains, soybeans, hay, or other livestock forages at such locations, at such times, and in such quantities as the Secretary finds necessary and appropriate and may pay such transportation and other costs as may be required to permit disposition of such wheat, feed grains, soybeans, hay, and other livestock forages under subsection (d) of this section.

Except when a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the President or by concurrent resolution of Congress declaring that such reserves should be disposed of, the Secretary shall not offer any commodity in the reserve for sale or disposition.

The Secretary is also authorized to dispose of such commodities only for (1) use in relieving distress (A) in any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Virgin Islands of the United States, (B) in connection with any major disaster or emergency determined by the President to warrant assistance by the Federal Government under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (88 Stat. 143, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 5121), and (C) in connection with any emergency determined by the Secretary to warrant assistance under section 1427 of this title, the Act of September 21, 1959 (73 Stat. 574, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 1427 note), or section 2267 1

The Secretary may sell at an equivalent price, allowing for the customary location and grade price differentials, substantially equivalent quantities in different locations or warehouses to the extent needed to properly handle, rotate, distribute, and locate such reserve.

The Secretary may use the Commodity Credit Corporation to the extent feasible to fulfill the purposes of this section; and to the maximum extent practicable consistent with the fulfillment of the purposes of this section and the effective and efficient administration of this section shall utilize the usual and customary channels, facilities, and arrangements of trade and commerce.

The Secretary may issue such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

There is hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

In order to prevent the waste of commodities whether in private stocks or acquired through price-support operations by the Commodity Credit Corporation before they can be disposed of in normal domestic channels without impairment of the price-support program or sold abroad at competitive world prices, the Commodity Credit Corporation is authorized, on such terms and under such regulations as the Secretary of Agriculture may deem in the public interest: (1) upon application, to make such commodities available to any Federal agency for use in making payment for commodities not produced in the United States; (2) to barter or exchange such commodities for strategic or other materials as authorized by law; (3) in the case of food commodities to donate such commodities to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and to such State, Federal, or private agency or agencies as may be designated by the proper State or Federal authority and approved by the Secretary, for use in the United States in nonprofit school-lunch programs, in nonprofit summer camps for children, in the assistance of needy persons, and in charitable institutions, including hospitals and facilities, to the extent that they serve needy persons (including infants and children). In the case of clause (3) the Secretary shall obtain such assurance as he deems necessary that the recipients thereof will not diminish their normal expenditures for food by reason of such donation. In order to facilitate the appropriate disposal of such commodities, the Secretary may from time to time estimate and announce the quantity of such commodities which he anticipates will become available for distribution under clause (3). The Commodity Credit Corporation may pay, with respect to commodities disposed of under this subsection, reprocessing, packaging, transporting, handling, and other charges accruing up to the time of their delivery to a Federal agency, or to the designated State or private agency. In addition, in the case of food commodities disposed of under this subsection, the Commodity Credit Corporation may pay the cost of processing such commodities into a form suitable for home or institutional use, such processing to be accomplished through private trade facilities to the greatest extent possible. For the purpose of this subsection the terms “State” and “United States” include the District of Columbia and any Territory or possession of the United States. Dairy products acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation through price support operations may, insofar as they can be used in the United States in nonprofit school lunch and other nonprofit child feeding programs, in the assistance of needy persons, and in charitable institutions, including hospitals, to the extent that needy persons are served, be donated for any such use prior to any other use or disposition. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, such dairy products may be donated for distribution to needy households in the United States and to meet the needs of persons receiving nutrition assistance under the Older Americans Act of 1965 [42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.].

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in order to prevent the accumulation of excessive stocks of agricultural commodities through the price support and stabilization operations of the Commodity Credit Corporation 1

In determining the feasibility of providing for the processing of Commodity Credit Corporation stocks of commodities under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider the nature of the commodities, and the acquisition, transportation, handling, storage, interest, and other costs associated with acquiring and maintaining such stocks, including the effect of such stocks in depressing commodity prices, as well as the value and utility of such stocks when processed into liquid fuels and agricultural commodity byproducts.

The Secretary shall carry out the program provided for under section 424 [7 U.S.C. 1433c] through the Commodity Credit Corporation, using the services of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service and the county committees established under section 590h(b) of title 16 to make determinations of eligibility with respect to the credit test under subsection (a)(1), and determinations as to the sufficiency of security under subsection (a)(6). The Secretary may use such committees for such other purposes as the Secretary determines appropriate in carrying out section 424.

It is further the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture issue or, as appropriate, amend regulations to implement any program established under section 424 [7 U.S.C. 1433c] as soon as practicable, but not later than 15 days after March 20, 1986. Loans and other assistance provided under such program shall be made available beginning on the date such regulations are issued or amended.