EXEMPTIONS

EXEMPTIONS Sec. 1212. [16 U.S.C. 3812] (a)(1) During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the later of January 1, 1990, or the date that is 2 years after the date land on which a crop of an agricultural commodity is produced was mapped by the Soil Conservation Service for purposes of classifying such land under the land capability classification system in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, except as provided in paragraph (2), no person shall become ineligible under section 1211 for program loans, payments, and benefits as the result of the production of a crop of an agricultural commodity on any land that was— (A) cultivated to produce any of the 1981 through 1985 crops of an agricultural commodity; or (B) set aside, diverted or otherwise not cultivated under a program administered by the Secretary for any such crops to reduce production of an agricultural commodity. (2) Eligibility based on compliance with conservation plan.— (A) In general.—If, as of January 1, 1990, or 2 years after the Soil Conservation Service has completed a soil survey for the farm, whichever is later, a person is actively applying a conservation plan, such person shall have until January 1, 1995, to comply with the plan without being subject to program ineligibility. (B) Minimization of documentation.—In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary, Soil Conservation Service, and local soil conservation districts shall minimize the quantity of documentation a person must submit to comply with this paragraph. (C) Crop insurance.— (i) Operations new to compliance.—Notwithstanding section 1211(a), in the case of a person that is subject to section 1211 for the first time solely due to the amendment made by section 2611(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014, any person who produces an agricultural commodity on the land that is the basis of the payments described in section 1211(a)(1)(E) shall have 5 reinsurance years after the date on which such payments become subject to section 1211 to develop and comply with an approved conservation plan so as to maintain eligibility for such payments. (ii) Existing operations with prior violations.—Notwithstanding section 1211(a), in the case of a person that the Secretary determines would have been in violation of section 1211(a) if the person had continued participation in the programs requiring compliance at any time after the date of enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2014 and is currently in violation of section 1211(a), the person shall have 2 reinsurance years after the date on which the payments described in section 1211(a)(1)(E) become subject to section 1211 to develop and comply with an approved conservation plan, as determined by the Secretary, so as to maintain eligibility for such payments. (iii) Applicable reinsurance year.—Ineligibility for the payment described in section 1211(a)(1)(E) for a violation under this subparagraph during a crop year shall— (I) only apply to reinsurance years subsequent to the date of a final determination of a violation, including all administrative appeals; and (II) not apply to the existing reinsurance year or any reinsurance year prior to the date of the final determination. (3) Any person who owns or operates highly erodible land that was the subject of a contract entered into under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D shall only be required to apply a conservation plan established under this subtitle. The person shall not be required to meet a higher conservation standard than the standard applied to other highly erodible cropland located within the same area. If the person's conservation plan requires structures to be constructed, the person shall have until 2 years after the expiration of such contract to comply with the conservation plan, or a longer period of time if the Secretary determines compliance is otherwise technically or economically not feasible, or such longer period is otherwise appropriate, before such person will be subject to program ineligibility with respect to such land under section 1211. (4) On the expiration of a contract entered into under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D, the provisions of this subtitle shall apply to the acreage that was the subject of such contract. (b) No person shall become ineligible under section 1211 for program loans, payments, and benefits as the result of the production of a crop of an agricultural commodity— (1) planted before the date of enactment of this Act; or (2) planted during any crop year beginning before the date of enactment of this Act. (c) No person shall become ineligible under section 1211 for program loans, payments, and benefits as the result of the production of a crop of an agricultural commodity or the designation of land to be set aside, diverted, devoted to conservation uses, or otherwise not cultivated under a program administered by the Secretary to reduce production of an agricultural commodity (hereafter in this subsection referred to as “set aside”)— (1) on highly erodible land in an area— (A) within a conservation district, under a conservation system that has been approved by a conservation district after the district has determined that the conservation system is in conformity with technical standards set forth in the Soil Conservation Service technical guide for such district; or (B) not within a conservation district, under a conservation system determined by the Secretary to be adequate for the protection of highly erodible land that has been set aside or for the production of such agricultural commodity on any highly erodible land subject to this title; or (2) on highly erodible land that is planted or set aside in reliance on a determination by the Soil Conservation Service that such land was not highly erodible land, except that this paragraph shall not apply to any agricultural commodity that was planted or set aside on any land after the Soil Conservation Service determines that such land is highly erodible land; or (3) on highly erodible land planted to alfalfa during each of the 1981 through 1985 crop years as part of a rotation practice approved by the Secretary, if the person has submitted a conservation plan, in which case, such person shall have until June 1, 1988, to comply with the plan without being subject to program ineligibility under section 1211. (d) Section 1211 shall not apply to a loan described in section 1211 made before the date of enactment of this Act. (e) If a tenant is determined to be ineligible for payments and other benefits under section 1211, the Secretary may limit such ineligibility only to the farm which is the basis for such ineligibility determination if— (1) the tenant has established to the satisfaction of the Secretary that— (A) the tenant has made a good faith effort to meet the requirements of this section, including enlisting the assistance of the Secretary to obtain a reasonable conservation plan for such farm; and (B) the landlord on the farm refuses to comply with such plan on such farm; and (2) the Secretary determines that such lack of compliance is not a part of a scheme or device to avoid such compliance. The Secretary shall provide an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate concerning the ineligibility determinations limited during the previous 12-month period under this subsection. (f) Graduated Penalties.— (1) Ineligibility.—No person shall become ineligible under section 1211 for program loans, payments, and benefits as a result of the failure of the person to actively apply a conservation plan, if the Secretary determines that the person has acted in good faith and without an intent to violate this subtitle. (2) Eligible reviewers.—A determination of the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, under paragraph (1) shall be reviewed by the applicable— (A) State Executive Director, with the technical concurrence of the State Conservationist; or (B) district director, with the technical concurrence of the area conservationist. (3) Period for implementation.—A person who meets the requirements of paragraph (1) shall be allowed a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Secretary, but not to exceed 1 year, during which to implement the measures and practices necessary to be considered to be actively applying the conservation plan of the person. (4) Penalties.— (A) Application.—This paragraph applies if the Secretary determines that— (i) a person has failed to comply with section 1211 with respect to highly erodible cropland, and has acted in good faith and without an intent to violate section 1211; or (ii) the violation— (I) is technical and minor in nature; and (II) has a minimal effect on the erosion control purposes of the conservation plan applicable to the land on which the violation has occurred. (B) Reduction.—If this paragraph applies under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall, in lieu of applying the ineligibility provisions of section 1211, reduce program benefits described in section 1211 that the producer would otherwise be eligible to receive in a crop year by an amount commensurate with the seriousness of the violation, as determined by the Secretary. (5) Subsequent crop years.—Any person whose benefits are reduced for any crop year under this subsection shall continue to be eligible for all of the benefits described in section 1211 for any subsequent crop year if, prior to the beginning of the subsequent crop year, the Secretary determines that the person is actively applying a conservation plan according to the schedule specified in the plan. (g) The Secretary, in providing assistance to an individual in the preparation or revision of a conservation plan under this section, shall provide such individual with information— (1) concerning cost effective and applicable erosion control measures that may be available to such individual to meet the requirements of this section; and (2) concerning crop flexibility, base adjustment, and conservation assistance options that may be available to such individual to meet the requirements of this section, including the provisions of titles X, XII, and XIII of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (or the amendments made by such titles). (h) Section 1211 shall not apply to the noncommercial production of agricultural commodities on a farm if such production is limited to two acres or less and if the Secretary determines that such production is not intended to circumvent the conservation requirements otherwise applicable to lands under this subtitle.