USC Chapter 42

in effect

7 U.S.C. § 1741 Maximum and minimum quantities for set-aside; “commodity set-aside” defined

The Commodity Credit Corporation shall, as rapidly as the Secretary of Agriculture shall determine to be practicable, set aside within its inventories not more than the following maximum quantities and not less than the following minimum quantities of agricultural commodities or products thereof heretofore or hereafter acquired by it from 1954 and prior years’ crops and production in connection with its price support operations: CommodityMaximum quantityMinimum quantity Wheat (bushels)500,000,000400,000,000 Upland cotton (bales)4,000,0003,000,000 Cottonseed oil (pounds)500,000,0000 Butter (pounds)200,000,0000 Nonfat dry milk solids (pounds)300,000,0000 Cheese (pounds)150,000,0000 Such quantities shall be known as the “commodity set-aside”.

7 U.S.C. § 1742 Determination of commodity value for set-aside

Quantities of commodities shall not be included in the commodity set-aside which have an aggregate value in excess of $2,500,000,000. The value of the commodities placed in the commodity set-aside, for the purpose of this section, shall be the Corporation’s investment in such commodities as of the date they are included in the commodity set-aside, as determined by the Secretary.

7 U.S.C. § 1743 Reduction of set-aside

(a) Such commodity set-aside shall be reduced by disposals made in accordance with the directions of the President as follows:(1) Donation, sale, or other disposition for disaster or other relief purposes outside the United States pursuant to and subject to the limitations of subchapter III of chapter 41 of this title; (2) Sale or barter (including barter for strategic materials) to develop new or expanded markets for American agricultural commodities, including but not limited to disposition pursuant to and subject to the limitations of subchapter II of chapter 41 of this title; (3) Donation to school-lunch programs; (4) Transfer to the National Defense Stockpile established by the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.), without reimbursement from funds appropriated for the purposes of that Act; (5) Donation, sale, or other disposition for research, experimental, or educational purposes; (6) Donation, sale, or other disposition for disaster relief purposes in the United States or to meet any national emergency declared by the President; and (7) Sale for unrestricted use to meet a need for increased supplies at not less than 105 per centum of the parity price in the case of agricultural commodities and a price reflecting 105 per centum of the parity price of the agricultural commodity in the case of products of agricultural commodities. The President shall prescribe such terms and conditions for the disposal of commodities in the commodity set-aside as he determines will provide adequate safeguards against interference with normal marketings of the supplies of such commodities outside the commodity set-aside. Strategic materials acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation under paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be transferred to the National Defense Stockpile established by the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act [50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.], and the Commodity Credit Corporation shall be reimbursed for the value of the commodities bartered for such strategic materials from funds appropriated for purposes of that Act. For the purpose of such reimbursement, the value of any commodity so bartered shall be the lower of the domestic market price or the Commodity Credit Corporation’s investment therein as of the date of such barter, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. (b) The quantity of any commodity in the commodity set-aside shall be reduced to the extent that the Commodity Credit Corporation inventory of such commodity is reduced, by natural or other cause beyond the control of the Corporation, below the quantity then charged to the commodity set-aside.

7 U.S.C. § 1744 Sale of commodities in set-aside; exemption from pricing limitations

(a) The Corporation shall have authority to sell, without regard to section 1743(a)(7) of this title, any commodity covered by the commodity set-aside for the purpose of rotating stocks or consolidating inventories, any such sale to be offset by purchase of the same commodity in a substantially equivalent quantity or of a substantially equivalent value. (b) Dispositions pursuant to this chapter shall not be subject to the pricing limitations of section 1427 of this title.

7 U.S.C. § 1745 Computation of carryover

The quantity of any commodity in the commodity set-aside or transferred from the set-aside to the National Defense Stockpile established by the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.) shall be excluded from the computation of “carryover” for the purpose of determining the price support level for such commodity under the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended [7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.], and related legislation, but shall be included in the computation of total supplies for purposes of acreage allotments and marketing quotas under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended [7 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.], and related legislation. Until such time as the commodity set-aside has been completed, such quantity of the commodity as the Secretary shall determine between the maximum and minimum quantities specified in section 1741 of this title shall be excluded from the computations of “carryover” for the purpose of determining the price support level, but shall be included in the computation of total supplies for purposes of acreage allotments and marketing quotas, for the 1955 crop of the commodity, notwithstanding that the quantity so excluded may not have been acquired by the Corporation and included in the commodity set-aside.

7 U.S.C. § 1746 Records and accounts

The Commodity Credit Corporation shall keep such records and accounts as may be necessary to show, for each commodity set-aside, the initial and current composition, value (in accordance with section 1742 of this title), current investment, quantity disposed of, method of disposition, and amounts received on disposition.

7 U.S.C. § 1747 Authorization of appropriations; determination of value of transferred commodity

In order to make payment to the Commodity Credit Corporation for any commodities transferred to the national stockpile pursuant to section 1743(a)(4) of this title, there are authorized to be appropriated amounts equal to the value of any commodities so transferred. The value of any commodity so transferred, for the purpose of this section, shall be the lower of the domestic market price or the Commodity Credit Corporation’s investment therein as of the date of transfer to the stockpile, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture

7 U.S.C. § 1748 Annual reports by agricultural attachés

(a) In generalThe Secretary shall require appropriate officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture, including those stationed in foreign countries, to prepare and submit annually to the Secretary detailed reports that—(1) document the nature and extent of—(A) programs in such countries that provide direct or indirect government support for the export of agricultural commodities and the products thereof; (B) other trade practices that may impede the entry of United States agricultural commodities and the products thereof into such countries; and (C) where practicable, the average prices and costs of production in such countries for like commodities exported from the United States to such countries; and (2) identify opportunities for the export of United States agricultural commodities and the products thereof to such countries. (b) DutiesThe Secretary shall—(1) annually compile the information contained in reports prepared under subsection (a)—(A) on a country by country basis; and (B) on a commodity by commodity basis for exports of United States agricultural commodities, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, the export of which is hampered by an unfair trade practice. Where practicable, the report shall include a comparison of the average prices and costs of production for such commodities in the United States and in the importing countries for the previous crop year; (2) in consultation with the agricultural technical advisory committees established under section 2155(c) of title 19, include in the compilation a priority ranking of those trade barriers identified in subsection (a) by commodity group; (3) include in the compilation a list of actions undertaken to reduce or eliminate such trade barriers; and (4) not later than January 15 of each year, make the compilation available to Congress, the agricultural policy advisory committee, and other interested parties. (c) MeetingThe Secretary and the United States Trade Representative shall convene a meeting, at least once each year, of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and the agricultural technical advisory committees to develop specific recommendations for actions to be taken by the Federal Government and private industry to—(1) reduce or eliminate trade barriers or distortions identified in the annual reports required to be submitted under subsections (a) and (b); and (2) expand United States agricultural export opportunities identified in such annual reports.

7 U.S.C. § 1749 Attaché educational program

The Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service shall establish a program within the Service that directs attachés of the Service who are reassigned from abroad to the United States, and other personnel of the Service, to visit and consult with producers and exporters of agricultural commodities and products and State officials throughout the United States concerning various methods to increase exports of United States agricultural commodities and products.