EXPANSION OF PRODUCERS ELIGIBLE FOR LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS.

SEC. 206. EXPANSION OF PRODUCERS ELIGIBLE FOR LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS. (a) Eligible Producers.—Section 135(a) of the Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7235(a)) is amended— (1) by striking “to producers” and inserting “to— “(1) producers”; (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and (3) by adding at the end the following: “(2) effective only for the 2000 crop year, producers that, although not eligible to obtain such a marketing assistance loan under section 131, produce a contract commodity.”. (b) Calculation.—Section 135(b)(2) of the Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7235(b)(2)) is amended by striking “that the producers” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “produced by the eligible producers, excluding any quantity for which the producers obtain a loan under section 131.”. (c) Transition; Beneficial Interest.—Section 135 of the Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7235) is amended by adding at the end the following: “(e) Transition.—A payment to a producer eligible for a payment under subsection (a)(2) that harvested a commodity on or before the date that is 30 days after the promulgation of the regulations implementing subsection (a)(2) shall be determined as the date the producer lost beneficial interest in the commodity, as determined by the Secretary. “(f) Beneficial Interest.—Subject to subsection (e), a producer shall be eligible for a payment under this section only if the producer 114 STAT. 406 has a beneficial interest in the commodity, as determined by the Secretary.”.