The Secretary of Agriculture, hereinafter referred to as the Secretary, is authorized and directed to compromise, adjust, or cancel indebtedness arising from loans and payments made or credit extended to farmers under the provisions of the several Acts of Congress or programs enumerated in section 1150a of this title: Provided, That the Secretary finds, after such investigation as he deems sufficient to establish the facts, that (1) said indebtedness has been due and payable for five years or more; (2) the debtor is unable to pay said indebtedness in full and has no reasonable prospect of being able to do so; (3) the debtor has acted in good faith in an effort to meet his obligation; and (4) the principal amount of said indebtedness is not in excess of $1,000. The Secretary is further authorized at his discretion to cancel and discharge indebtedness arising under said Acts of Congress or programs when the amount of said indebtedness is less than $10, or the debtor is deceased and there is no reasonable prospect of recovering from his estate, or his whereabouts has remained unknown for two years and there is no reasonable prospect of obtaining collection, or he has been discharged of the indebtedness in any proceeding under the Bankruptcy Act or under title 11. The compromises, adjustments, or cancelations 1

The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any indebtedness of farmers arising from loans or payments made or credit extended to them under any of the following Acts or programs: (a) July 1, 1918 (40 Stat. 635); March 3, 1921 (41 Stat. 1347); March 20, 1922 (42 Stat. 467); April 26, 1924 (43 Stat. 110); February 25, 1927 (44 Stat. 1245); February 28, 1927 (44 Stat., part II, 1251); February 25, 1929 (45 Stat. 1306), as amended May 17, 1929 (46 Stat. 3); March 3, 1930 (46 Stat. 78–79), as amended April 24, 1930 (46 Stat. 254); December 20, 1930 (46 Stat. 1032), as amended February 14, 1931 (46 Stat. 1160); February 23, 1931 (46 Stat. 1276); January 22, 1932 (47 Stat. 5); March 3, 1932 (47 Stat. 60); February 4, 1933 (47 Stat. 795); February 23, 1934 (48 Stat. 354); June 19, 1934 (48 Stat. 1056); February 20, 1935 (49 Stat. 28); March 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 50); April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115); (Executive Order Numbered 7305); January 29, 1937 (50 Stat. 5); and February 4, 1938 (52 Stat. 27); (b) Agricultural Adjustment Act (of 1933); Bankhead Cotton Act of April 21, 1934, on account of the several cotton tax-exemption certificate pools; Jones-Connally Cattle Act of April 7, 1934; Emergency Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1935, approved June 19, 1934; Kerr Tobacco Act of June 28, 1934, and Public Resolution Numbered 76, approved March 14, 1936; section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, and related legislation; Supplemental Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1936; sections 7 to 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act; Sugar Act of 1937; sections 303 and 381(a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and related or subsequent legislation authorizing parity or price adjustment payments; title IV and title V of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and related legislation; any amendment to any of the foregoing Acts heretofore and any other Act of Congress heretofore enacted authorizing payments to farmers under programs administered through the Agricultural Adjustment Agency; (c) Loans made by or through the Resettlement Administration of the Farm Security Administration out of funds appropriated or made available by or pursuant to the following Acts; April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115); June 22, 1936 (49 Stat. 1608); February 9, 1937 (50 Stat. 8); June 29, 1937 (50 Stat. 352); The Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, July 22, 1937 (50 Stat. 522 et seq.); the Water Facilities Act of August 28, 1937 (50 Stat. 869 et seq.); March 2, 1938 (52 Stat. 83, Public Resolution Numbered 80); June 21, 1938 (52 Stat. 809); June 30, 1939 (53 Stat. 927); June 26, 1940 (Public Resolution Numbered 88); flood-restoration loans, Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1943 (57 Stat. 537, 542); and subsequent legislation appropriating or making available funds for such loans; commodity loan, purchase, sale, and other programs of the Commodity Credit Corporation; and crop-insurance programs formulated pursuant to title V of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (the Federal Crop Insurance Act), and any amendment or supplement thereto heretofore or hereafter enacted. This chapter shall also apply to any indebtedness of farmers evidenced by notes or accounts receivable, title to which has been acquired in the liquidation of loans to cooperative associations made under the provisions of the Act of June 15, 1929 (46 Stat. 11).

There is authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such amount as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, and the current and subsequent appropriations to enable the Secretary to administer the respective Acts of Congress or programs to which the aforesaid payments or loans or extensions of credit relate shall also be available for the administrative expenses of carrying out this chapter.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no persons who have received or have owing to them, prior to September 24, 1980, payments at rates announced by the Secretary of Agriculture for self-hauling of hay or other roughages under the hay transportation assistance program shall be liable for, or be obligated to refund, any amount that is determined by the Secretary to be in excess of the payment computed in accordance with the maximum rate provided by section 8 of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976: Provided, That the Secretary determines that such persons have otherwise complied with the terms and conditions of, and are otherwise entitled to payments under, the hay transportation assistance program. Any payments made pursuant to this section shall be made out of funds appropriated or otherwise available on September 24, 1980 for disaster relief.