Collapse to view only § 1343. Referendum

§ 1341. Legislative findings

American cotton is a basic source of clothing and industrial products used by every person in the United States and by substantial numbers of people in foreign countries. American cotton is sold on a world-wide market and moves from the places of production almost entirely in interstate and foreign commerce to processing establishments located throughout the world at places outside the State where the cotton is produced.

Fluctuations in supplies of cotton and the marketing of excessive supplies of cotton in interstate and foreign commerce disrupt the orderly marketing of cotton in such commerce with consequent injury to and destruction of such commerce. Excessive supplies of cotton directly and materially affect the volume of cotton moving in interstate and foreign commerce and cause disparity in prices of cotton and industrial products moving in interstate and foreign commerce with consequent diminution of the volume of such commerce in industrial products.

The conditions affecting the production and marketing of cotton are such that, without Federal assistance, farmers, individually or in cooperation, cannot effectively prevent the recurrence of excessive supplies of cotton and fluctuations in supplies, cannot prevent indiscriminate dumping of excessive supplies on the Nation-wide and foreign markets, cannot maintain normal carry-overs of cotton, and cannot provide for the orderly marketing of cotton in interstate and foreign commerce.

It is in the interest of the general welfare that interstate and foreign commerce in cotton be protected from the burdens caused by the marketing of excessive supplies of cotton in such commerce, that a supply of cotton be maintained which is adequate to meet domestic consumption and export requirements in years of drought, flood, and other adverse conditions as well as in years of plenty, and that the soil resources of the Nation be not wasted in the production of excessive supplies of cotton.

The provisions of this subpart affording a cooperative plan to cotton producers are necessary and appropriate to prevent the burdens on interstate and foreign commerce caused by the marketing in such commerce of excessive supplies, and to promote, foster, and maintain an orderly flow of an adequate supply of cotton in such commerce.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 341, 52 Stat. 55.)
§ 1342. National marketing quota; proclamation; amount; date of proclamation

Whenever during any calendar year the Secretary determines that the total supply of cotton for the marketing year beginning in such calendar year will exceed the normal supply for such marketing year, the Secretary shall proclaim such fact and a national marketing quota shall be in effect for the crop of cotton produced in the next calendar year. The Secretary shall also determine and specify in such proclamation the amount of the national marketing quota in terms of the number of bales of cotton (standard bales of five hundred pounds gross weight) adequate, together with (1) the estimated carry-over at the beginning of the marketing year which begins in the next calendar year and (2) the estimated imports during such marketing year, to make available a normal supply of cotton: Provided, That beginning with the 1961 crop, the national marketing quota shall be not less than a number of bales equal to the estimated domestic consumption and estimated exports (less estimated imports) for the marketing year for which the quota is proclaimed, except that the Secretary shall make such adjustment in the amount of such quota as he determines necessary after taking into consideration the estimated stocks of cotton in the United States (including the qualities of such stocks) and stocks in foreign countries which would be available for the marketing year for which the quota is being proclaimed if no adjustment of such quota is made hereunder, to assure the maintenance of adequate but not excessive stocks in the United States to provide a continuous and stable supply of the different qualities of cotton needed in the United States and in foreign cotton consuming countries, and for purposes of national security; but the Secretary, in making such adjustments, may not reduce the national marketing quota for any year below (i) one million bales less than the estimated domestic consumption and estimated exports for the marketing year for which such quota is being proclaimed, or (ii) ten million bales, whichever is larger. Such proclamation shall be made not later than October 15 of the calendar year in which such determination is made. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the national marketing quota for cotton for 1957 and 1958 shall be not less than the number of bales required to provide a national acreage allotment for 1957 and 1958 equal to the national acreage allotment for 1956: Provided, That if the acreage allotment for any State for 1957 or 1958 is less than its allotment for the preceding year by more than 1 per centum, such State allotment shall be increased so that the reduction shall not exceed 1 per centum per annum, and the acreage required for such increase shall be in addition to the national acreage allotment for such year. Additional acreage apportioned to a State for 1957 or 1958 under the foregoing proviso shall not be taken into account in establishing future State allotments. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the national marketing quota for upland cotton for 1959 and subsequent years shall be not less than the number of bales required to provide a national acreage allotment for each such year of sixteen million acres.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 342, 52 Stat. 56; Aug. 29, 1949, ch. 518, § 1, 63 Stat. 670; May 28, 1956, ch. 327, title III, § 302, 70 Stat. 203; Pub. L. 85–835, title I, § 103(1), (2), Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 989, 990.)
§ 1342a. National cotton production goal

The Secretary shall, not later than November 15, of the calendar years 1970 through 1976 proclaim a national cotton production goal for the 1971 and subsequent crops of upland cotton. The national cotton production goal for any year shall be the number of bales of upland cotton (standard bales of four hundred and eighty pounds net weight) equal to the estimated domestic consumption and estimated exports for the marketing year beginning in the calendar year for which such national cotton production goal is proclaimed, plus an allowance of not less than 5 per centum of such estimated consumption and estimated exports for market expansion except that the Secretary shall make such adjustments in the amount of such production goal as he determines necessary after taking into consideration the estimated stocks of upland cotton in the United States (including the qualities of such stocks) and stocks in foreign countries, which would be available for the marketing year, to assure the maintenance of adequate but not excessive carryover stocks in the United States (not less than 50 per centum of the average offtake for the three preceding marketing years) to provide a continuous and stable supply of the different qualities of upland cotton needed in the United States and in foreign cotton consuming countries and, in addition, to provide an adequate reserve for purposes of national security.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 342a, as added Pub. L. 91–524, title VI, § 601(2), Nov. 30, 1970, 84 Stat. 1371; amended Pub. L. 93–86, § 1(19)(B), Aug. 10, 1973, 87 Stat. 233.)
§ 1343. Referendum

Not later than December 15 following the issuance of the marketing quota proclamation provided for in section 1342 of this title, the Secretary shall conduct a referendum, by secret ballot, of farmers engaged in the production of cotton in the calendar year in which the referendum is held, to determine whether such farmers are in favor of or opposed to the quota so proclaimed. If more than one-third of the farmers voting in the referendum oppose the national marketing quota, such quota shall become ineffective upon proclamation of the results of the referendum. The Secretary shall proclaim the results of any referendum held hereunder within thirty days after the date of such referendum. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, the referendum with respect to the national marketing quota for cotton for the marketing year beginning August 1, 1986, may be conducted not later than thirty-one days after adjournment sine die of the first session of the Ninety-ninth Congress.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 343, 52 Stat. 56; Apr. 7, 1938, ch. 107, § 8, 52 Stat. 203; July 26, 1939, ch. 376, 53 Stat. 1125; July 3, 1948, ch. 827, title II, § 207(c), 62 Stat. 1257; Aug. 29, 1949, ch. 518, § 1, 63 Stat. 670; Oct. 31, 1949, ch. 792, title IV, § 415(e), 63 Stat. 1058; Pub. L. 97–77, § 2(c), Nov. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 1069; Pub. L. 99–157, § 4, Nov. 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 818.)
§ 1344. Apportionment of national acreage allotments
(a) Basis
(b) Apportionment among States for year 1953 and subsequent years; adjustment; national acreage reserve
(c) Apportionment among States for years 1950 and 1951; computation and adjustmentThe national acreage allotments for cotton for the years 1950 and 1951 shall be apportioned to the States on the basis of a national acreage allotment base of twenty-two million five hundred thousand acres, computed and adjusted as follows:
(1) The average of the planted acreages (including acreage regarded as planted under the provisions of Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) in the States for the years 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1948 shall constitute the national base; except that in the case of any State having a 1948 planted cotton acreage of over one million acres and less than 50 per centum of the 1943 allotment, the average of the acreage planted (or regarded as planted under Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) for the years 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1948 shall constitute the base for such State and shall be included in computing the national base; to this is to be added (A) the estimated additional acreage for each State required for small-farm allotments under subsection (f)(1) of this section; (B) the acreage required as a result of the State adjustment provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection; (C) the additional acreage required to determine a total national allotment base of twenty-two million five hundred thousand acres, which additional acreage shall be distributed on a proportionate basis among States receiving no adjustment under paragraph (2) of this subsection.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the acreage allotment base for 1950 and 1951 for any State (on the basis of a national acreage allotment base of twenty-two million five hundred thousand acres) shall not be less than the larger of (1) 95 per centum of the average acreage actually planted to cotton in the State during the years 1947 and 1948, or (2) 85 per centum of the acreage planted to cotton in the State in 1948.
(3) If the national acreage allotment for 1950 or 1951 is more or less than twenty-two million five hundred thousand acres, horizontal adjustments shall be made percentagewise by States so as to reflect the ratio of the national acreage allotment for 1950 and 1951 to twenty-two million five hundred thousand acres.
(d) Apportionment for year 1952; adjustment
(e) Apportionment among counties; reservation of acreage; additional acreage for establishing minimum farm allotments
(f) Apportionment among farmsThe county acreage allotment, less not to exceed the percentage provided for in paragraph 3 of this subsection, shall be apportioned to farms on which cotton has been planted (or regarded as having been planted under the provisions of Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) in any one of the three years immediately preceding the year for which such allotment is determined on the following basis:
(1) Insofar as such acreage is available, there shall be allotted the smaller of the following: (A) ten acres; or (B) the acreage allotment established for the farm for the 1958 crop.
(2) The remainder shall be allotted to farms other than farms to which an allotment has been made under paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection so that the allotment to each farm under this paragraph together with the amount of the allotment to such farm under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection shall be a prescribed percentage (which percentage shall be the same for all such farms in the county or administrative area) of the acreage, during the preceding year, on the farm which is tilled annually or in regular rotation, excluding from such acreages the acres devoted to the production of sugarcane for sugar; sugar beets for sugar; wheat, tobacco, or rice for market; peanuts picked and threshed; wheat or rice for feeding to livestock for market; or lands determined to be devoted primarily to orchards or vineyards, and nonirrigated lands in irrigated areas:
(3) The county committee may reserve not in excess of 15 per centum of the county allotment (15 per centum if the State’s 1948 planted cotton acreage was in excess of one million acres and less than half its 1943 allotment) which, in addition to the acreage made available under the proviso in subsection (e), shall be used for (A) establishing allotments for farms on which cotton was not planted (or regarded as planted under Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) during any of the three calendar years immediately preceding the year for which the allotment is made, on the basis of land, labor, and equipment available for the production of cotton, crop-rotation practices, and the soil and other physical facilities affecting the production of cotton; and (B) making adjustments of the farm acreage allotments established under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection so as to establish allotments which are fair and reasonable in relation to the factors set forth in this paragraph and abnormal conditions of production on such farms, or in making adjustments in farm acreage allotments to correct inequities and to prevent hardship: Provided, That not less than 20 per centum of the acreage reserved under this subsection shall, to the extent required, be allotted, upon such basis as the Secretary deems fair and reasonable to farms (other than farms to which an allotment has been made under paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection), if any, to which an allotment of not exceeding fifteen acres may be made under other provisions of this subsection.
(4) Any part of the acreage allotted for 1950 to individual farms in any county under the provisions of this section which will not be planted to cotton and which is voluntarily surrendered to the county committee shall be deducted from the allotments to such farms and may be reapportioned by the county committee to other farms in the same county receiving allotments to the extent necessary to provide such farms with the allotments authorized under paragraph (5) of this subsection. If any acreage remains after providing such allotments, it may be apportioned in amounts determined by the county committee to be fair and reasonable to other farms in the same county receiving allotments which the county committee determines are inadequate and not representative in view of their past production of cotton and to new farms in such county. No allotment shall be made, or increased, by reason of this paragraph to an acreage in excess of 40 per centum of the acreage on the farm which is tilled annually or in regular rotation, as determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary. Any transfer of allotment under this paragraph shall not operate to reduce the allotment for any subsequent year for the farm from which acreage is transferred, except in accordance with paragraph (1)(B) and the proviso in paragraph (2) of this subsection: Provided, That any part of any farm acreage allotment may be permanently released in writing to the county committee by the owner and operator of the farm and may be reapportioned in the manner set forth above. In any subsequent year, unless hereafter otherwise provided by law, acreage surrendered under this paragraph and reallocated pursuant to applications filed in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (5) of this section 1
1 So in original. Probably should be “subsection”.
shall be credited to the State and county in determining acreage allotments.
(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and without reducing any farm acreage allotment determined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this subsection, each farm acreage allotment for 1950 shall be increased by such amount as may be necessary to provide an allotment equal to the larger of 65 per centum of the average acreage planted to cotton (or regarded as planted to cotton under the provisions of Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) on the farm in 1946, 1947, and 1948, or 45 per centum of the highest acreage planted to cotton (or regarded as planted to cotton under Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress) on the farm in any one of such three years; but no such allotment shall be increased by reason of this provision to an acreage in excess of 40 per centum of the acreage on the farm which is tilled annually or in regular rotation, as determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary. An increase in any 1950 farm acreage allotment shall be made pursuant to this paragraph only upon application in writing by the owner or operator of the farm within such reasonable period of time (in no event less than fifteen days) as may be prescribed by the Secretary. The additional acreage required to be allotted to farms under this paragraph shall be in addition to the county, State, and national acreage allotments and the production from such acreage shall be in addition to the national marketing quota. The additional acreage authorized by this paragraph shall not be taken into account in establishing future State, county, and farm acreage allotments.
(6) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2) of the subsection, if the county committee recommends such action and the Secretary determines that such action will result in a more equitable distribution of the county allotment among farms in the county, the remainder of the county acreage allotment (after making allotments as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection) shall be allotted to farms other than farms to which an allotment has been made under paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection so that the allotment to each farm under this paragraph together with the amount of the allotment of such farm under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection shall be a prescribed percentage (which percentage shall be the same for all such farms in the county) of the average acreage planted to cotton on the farm during the three years immediately preceding the year for which such allotment is determined, adjusted as may be necessary for abnormal conditions affecting plantings during such three-year period: Provided, That the county committee may in its discretion limit any farm acreage allotment established under the provisions of this paragraph for any year to an acreage not in excess of 50 per centum of the cropland on the farm, as determined pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection: Provided further, That any part of the county acreage allotment not apportioned under this paragraph by reason of the initial application of such 50 per centum limitation shall be added to the county acreage reserve under paragraph (3) of this subsection and shall be available for the purposes specified therein. If the county acreage allotment is apportioned among the farms of the county in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph, the acreage reserved under paragraph (3) of this subsection may be used to make adjustments so as to establish allotments which are fair and reasonable to farms receiving allotments under this paragraph in relation to the factors set forth in paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(7)
(A) In the event that any farm acreage allotment is less than that prescribed by paragraph (1) of this subsection, such acreage allotment shall be increased to the acreage prescribed by said paragraph (1). The additional acreage required to be allotted to farms under this paragraph shall be in addition to the county, State, and national acreage allotments and the production from such acreage shall be in addition to the national marketing quota.
(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law—
(i) the acreage by which any farm acreage allotment for 1959 or any subsequent crop established under paragraph (1) of this subsection exceeds the acreage which would have been allotted to such farm if its allotment had been computed on the basis of the same percentage factor applied to other farms in the county under paragraph (2), (6), or (8) of this subsection shall not be taken into account in establishing the acreage allotment for such farm for any crop for which acreage is allotted to such farm under paragraph (2), (6), or (8) of this subsection; and acreage shall be allotted under paragraph (2), (6), or (8) of this subsection to farms which did not receive 1958 crop allotments in excess of ten acres if and only if the Secretary determines (after considering the allotments to other farms in the county for such crop compared with their 1958 allotments and other relevant factors) that equity and justice require the allotment of additional acreage to such farm under paragraph (2), (6), or (8) of this subsection,
(ii) the acreage by which any county acreage allotment for 1959 or any subsequent crop is increased from the national or State reserve on the basis of its needs for additional acreage for establishing minimum farm allotments shall not be taken into account in establishing future county acreage allotments, and
(iii) the additional acreage allotted pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (7) shall not be taken into account in establishing future State, county, or farm acreage allotments.
(8) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of paragraphs (2) and (6) of this subsection, the Secretary shall, if allotments were in effect the preceding year, provide for the county acreage allotment for the 1959 and succeeding crops of cotton, less the acreage reserved under paragraph (3) of this subsection, to be apportioned to farms on which cotton has been planted in any one of the three years immediately preceding the year for which such allotment is determined, on the basis of the farm acreage allotment for the year immediately preceding the year for which such apportionment is made, adjusted as may be necessary (i) for any change in the acreage of cropland available for the production of cotton, or (ii) to meet the requirements of any provision (other than those contained in paragraphs (2) and (6)) with respect to the counting of acreage for history purposes: Provided, That, beginning with allotments established for the 1961 crop of cotton, if the acreage actually planted (or regarded as planted under the Soil Bank Act, the environmental quality incentives program established under subchapter A of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 [16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.], and the release and reapportionment provisions of subsection (m) (2) of this section) to cotton on the farm in the preceding year was less than 75 per centum of the farm allotment for such year or, in the case of a farm which qualified for price support on the crop produced in such year under section 1444(b) of this title, 75 per centum of the farm domestic allotment established under section 1350 of this title for such year, whichever is smaller, in lieu of using such allotment as the farm base as provided in this paragraph, the base shall be the average of (1) the cotton acreage for the farm for the preceding year as determined for purposes of this proviso and (2) the allotment established for the farm pursuant to the provisions of this subsection for such preceding year; and the 1958 allotment used for establishing the minimum farm allotment under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be adjusted to the average acreage so determined. The base for a farm shall not be adjusted as provided in this paragraph if the county committee determines that failure to plant at least 75 per centum of the farm allotment was due to conditions beyond the control of producers on the farm. The Secretary shall establish limitations to prevent allocations of allotment to farms not affected by the foregoing proviso, which would be excessive on the basis of the cropland, past cotton acreage, allotments for other commodities, and good soil conservation practices on such farms.
(g) Law and conditions governing establishment of acreage allotments and yieldsNotwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section—
(1) State, county, and farm acreage allotments and yields for cotton shall be established in conformity with section 1344a of this title.
(2) In apportioning the county allotment among the farms within the county, the Secretary, through the local committees, shall take into consideration different conditions within separate administrative areas within a county if any exist, including types, kinds, and productivity of the soil so as to prevent discrimination among the administrative areas of the county.
(h) Repealed. Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 378(d), as added Aug. 28, 1958, Pub. L. 85–835, title V, § 501, 72 Stat. 996
(i) Excess planting; old and new farm allotment
(j) Availability of records for inspection
(k) Minimum allotments to States
(l) Administration of law governing war cropsNotwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary, in administering the provisions of Public Law 12, Seventy-ninth Congress, as it relates to war crops, shall carry out the provisions of such Act in the following manner:
(i) A survey shall be conducted of every farm which had a 1942 cotton acreage allotment, and of such other farms as the Secretary considers necessary in the administration of Public Law 12. This survey shall obtain for each farm the most accurate information possible on (a) the total acreage in cultivation, and (b) the acreage of individual crops planted on each farm in the years 1941, 1945, 1946, and 1947.
(ii) An eligible farm for war-crop credit shall be a farm on which (a) the cotton acreage on the farm in 1945, 1946, or 1947, was reduced below the cotton acreage planted on the farm in 1941; (b) the war-crop acreage on the farm in 1945, 1946, or 1947, was increased above the war-crop acreage on the farm in 1941; and (c) the farm had a cotton acreage allotment in 1942.
(iii) A farm shall be regarded as having planted cotton (in addition to the actual acreage planted to cotton) to the extent of the lesser of (a) the reduction in cotton acreage for each of the years 1945, 1946, and 1947, below the acreage planted to cotton in 1941, or (b) the increase in war crops for each of the years 1945, 1946, and 1947, above that planted to such war crops in 1941. However, the county committee may be given the discretion to adjust such war-crop credit when the county committee determines that the reduction in cotton acreage was not related to an increase in war crops, but the adjustment shall be made only after consultation with the producer.
(iv) The Secretary, using the best information obtainable, and working with and through the State and county committees, shall use whatever means necessary to make an accurate determination of the credits due each individual farm, under Public Law 12.
(v) The total of the war-crop credits due the individual farms in each county shall be credited to the county and the total of the war-crop credits due all of the counties in a State shall be credited to the State.
(vi) The acreage credited to States, counties, and farms for the years 1945, 1946, or 1947, because of war crops, shall be taken into full account in the determination and distribution of cotton acreage allotments on a national, State, county, and farm basis.
(m) Acreage allotments, 1954; increases; apportionments; limitations; unallotted farm acreage; reapportionment of surrendered acreage; extra long staple cotton; reserve acreageNotwithstanding any other provision of law—
(1) The national acreage allotment established under subsection (a) of this section for the 1954 crop of cotton shall be increased to twenty-one million acres and apportioned to the States in the same manner in which the national acreage allotment heretofore established for 1954 was apportioned to the States. In addition to such increased national acreage allotment, and in order to provide equitable adjustments in 1954 farm acreage allotments, (A) three hundred and fifteen thousand additional acres shall be prorated as follows: one-half to the States of Arizona, California, and New Mexico, and one-half to the other States (excluding those which receive a minimum allotment under subsection (k) of this section), the proration of each half being made to the States participating therein on the basis of their respective shares of the increased national acreage allotment, and (B) such additional acreage shall be added as may be required to provide each State a total allotment under subsection (b) of this section and the provisions of this paragraph of not less than 66 per centum of the acreage planted to cotton in the State in 1952. The additional acreage made available to States under clause (B) of the preceding sentence shall not be taken into account in establishing future State acreage allotments. The additional acreage made available to States under the provisions of this paragraph shall be apportioned to counties on the basis of their respective shares of the State acreage allotment heretofore apportioned pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, and the additional acreage shall be apportioned to farms pursuant to the provisions of subsection (f) of this section: Provided, That, if the county committee determines that such action will result in a more equitable distribution of the additional county allotment among farms in the county, the additional acreage shall be apportioned by the county committee to farms so as to provide each farm with an allotment equal to the larger of 65 per centum of the average acreage planted to cotton on the farm in 1951, 1952, and 1953 (as determined by the county committee in establishing allotments under subsection (f) of this section) or 40 per centum of the highest acreage planted to cotton on the farm in any one of such three years as so determined: Provided, That the State committee in each State shall limit such increase based on the system of farming, soil, crop-rotation practices, and other physical factors affecting production in such State, to an acreage not in excess of 50 per centum of the cropland on the farm, as determined under regulations heretofore prescribed by the Secretary. If the additional acreage is insufficient to meet the total of the farm increases so computed, such farm increases shall be reduced pro rata to the additional acreage available to the county; if the additional acreage available to the county is in excess of the total of the farm increases so computed the acreage remaining after making such increases shall be allotted to farms pursuant to the provisions of subsection (f)(3). Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, if the State committee determines that such action will result in a more equitable distribution of the additional acreage made available to the State under this paragraph it shall apportion such additional allotment directly to farms so as to provide each farm with an allotment equal to the larger of 65 per centum of the average acreage planted to cotton on the farm in 1951, 1952, and 1953 (as determined by the county committee in establishing allotments under subsection (f) of this section) or 40 per centum of the highest acreage planted to cotton on the farm in any one of such three years as so determined: Provided, That the State committee in each State shall limit such increase based on the system of farming, soil, crop-rotation practices, and other physical factors affecting production in such State, to an acreage not in excess of 50 per centum of the cropland on the farm, as determined under regulations heretofore prescribed by the Secretary: Provided, That if the State total of the farm increases so computed exceeds the additional acreage made available to the State under this paragraph, such farm increases shall be reduced pro rata to the additional acreage available to the State. Any acreage unallotted to farms because of the limitations contained in the preceding sentence shall be apportioned by the State committee to counties on the basis of past acreages planted to cotton and shall be used by county committees for adjustments in farm allotments on the basis of one or more of the following: The past acreage of cotton on the farm, the percentage of cropland heretofore determined under subsection (f)(2) of this section, and the factors enumerated in subsection (f)(3) of this section. Before apportioning such unallotted acreage to counties as provided in the foregoing sentence, the State committee may, if it determines that such action is required to provide equitable allotments within the State, apportion such unallotted acreage directly to farms to the extent required to provide each farm with the minimum allotment described in subsection (f)(1) of this section. Any part of the county allotment heretofore established for the 1954 crop which was not apportioned to farms because of the limitation contained in the proviso in subsection (f)(2) of this section shall be available to the State committee and used as provided above for apportionment of unallotted acreage to farms. The provisions of this subsection, except paragraph (2) of this subsection, shall not apply to extra long staple cotton covered by section 1347 of this title.
(2) Any part of any farm cotton acreage allotment on which cotton will not be planted and which is voluntarily surrendered to the county committee shall be deducted from the allotment to such farm and may be reapportioned by the county committee to other farms in the same county receiving allotments in amounts determined by the county committee to be fair and reasonable on the basis of past acreage of cotton land, labor, equipment available for the production of cotton, crop rotation practices, and soil and other physical facilities affecting the production of cotton. If all of the allotted acreage voluntarily surrendered is not needed in the county, the county committee may surrender the excess acreage to the State committee to be used for the same purposes as the State acreage reserve under subsection (e) of this section. Any allotment released under this provision shall be regarded for the purposes of establishing future allotments as having been planted on the farm and in the county where the release was made rather than on the farm and in the county to which the allotment was transferred, except that this shall not operate to make the farm from which the allotment was transferred eligible for an allotment as having cotton planted thereon during the three-year base period: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provisions of law, any part of any farm acreage allotment may be permanently released in writing to the county committee by the owner and operator of the farm, and reapportioned as provided herein. Acreage released under this paragraph shall be credited to the State in determining future allotments. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply also to extra long staple cotton covered by section 1347 of this title.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or other provision of law, the acreage allotted to any State for 1954 under the provisions of subsection (b) of this section and the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection which is less than one hundred thousand acres but more than thirty thousand acres shall be increased by an acreage equal to 15 per centum of the acreage allotted to it prior to January 30, 1954. Such acreage shall be used by the State committee as a reserve to make equitable adjustments in 1954 farm acreage allotments on the basis of land, labor, equipment available for the production of cotton, crop-rotation practices, past acreages of cotton, soil, and other physical factors affecting the production of cotton.
(n) Transfer of farm cotton acreage allotments in case of natural disasters; eligibility for allotment
(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 344, 52 Stat. 57; Apr. 7, 1938, ch. 107, § 9, 52 Stat. 203; May 31, 1938, ch. 292, § 1, 52 Stat. 586; Mar. 13, 1939, ch. 9, 53 Stat. 512; June 22, 1939, ch. 238, §§ 1–3, 53 Stat. 853; Feb. 6, 1942, ch. 44, § 3, 56 Stat. 52; Aug. 29, 1949, ch. 518, § 1, 63 Stat. 670; Oct. 31, 1949, ch. 792, title IV, § 419, 63 Stat. 1062; Mar. 31, 1950, ch. 81, § 1, 64 Stat. 40; Jan. 30, 1954, ch. 2, §§ 1–3, 68 Stat. 4–6; Aug. 28, 1954, ch. 1041, title III, § 310, 68 Stat. 904; May 28, 1956, ch. 327, title III, § 303(a)–(d), 70 Stat. 203; Pub. L. 85–456, June 11, 1958, 72 Stat. 186; Pub. L. 85–835, title I, §§ 103(4), 104(a)–(d), 105–107, Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 990–992; Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 378(d), as added Pub. L. 85–835, title V, § 501, Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 996; Pub. L. 86–172, § 2, Aug. 18, 1959, 73 Stat. 393; Pub. L. 87–37, May 20, 1961, 75 Stat. 84; Pub. L. 87–446, Apr. 27, 1962, 76 Stat. 64; Pub. L. 88–12, Apr. 26, 1963, 77 Stat. 13; Pub. L. 88–297, title I, § 106(3), (8), Apr. 11, 1964, 78 Stat. 177; Pub. L. 104–127, title III, § 336(b)(2)(A), Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1006; Pub. L. 115–334, title II, § 2301(d)(2)(A), Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4554.)
§ 1344a. Exclusion of 1949 acreage in computation of future allotments

Notwithstanding the provisions of title III of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended [7 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.], or of any other law, State, county, and farm acreage allotments and yields for cotton for any year after 1949 shall be computed without regard to yields or to the acreage planted to cotton in 1949.

(Mar. 29, 1949, ch. 38, 63 Stat. 17.)
§ 1344b. Sale, lease, or transfer of cotton acreage allotments
(a) Authority for calendar years 1966 through 1970; transfer periods
(b) Requisite conditions for transfer of acreage allotments
(c) Extent of estate transferred
(d) Period of ineligibility of land for new allotment
(e) Transfer of allotments established under minimum allotment provisions
(f) Rules and regulations
(g) Adjustment upon transfer of land covered by conservation reserve contract
(h) Exchange of cotton acreage allotments for rice acreage allotments
(i) Applicability to cotton restricted to upland cotton
(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 344a, as added Pub. L. 89–321, title IV, § 405, Nov. 3, 1965, 79 Stat. 1197; amended Pub. L. 90–559, § 1(2), Oct. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 996; Pub. L. 91–524, title VI, § 601(3)(1), Nov. 30, 1970, 84 Stat. 1372; Pub. L. 93–86, § 1(19)(C), (D), Aug. 10, 1973, 87 Stat. 233.)
§ 1345. Farm marketing quotas; farm marketing excess

The farm marketing quota for any crop of cotton shall be the actual production of the acreage planted to cotton on the farm less the farm marketing excess. The farm marketing excess shall be the normal production of that acreage planted to cotton on the farm which is in excess of the farm acreage allotment: Provided, That such farm marketing excess shall not be larger than the amount by which the actual production of cotton on the farm exceeds the normal production of the farm acreage allotment, if the producer establishes such actual production to the satisfaction of the Secretary.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 345, 52 Stat. 58; July 3, 1948, ch. 827, title II, § 205, 62 Stat. 1256; Aug. 29, 1949, ch. 518, § 1, 63 Stat. 674; Oct. 31, 1949, ch. 792, title IV, § 415(e), 63 Stat. 1058.)
§ 1346. Penalties
(a) Whenever farm marketing quotas are in effect with respect to any crop of cotton, the producer shall be subject to a penalty on the farm marketing excess at a rate per pound equal to 50 per centum of the parity price per pound for cotton as of June 15 of the calendar year in which such crop is produced.
(b) The farm marketing excess of cotton shall be regarded as available for marketing and the amount of penalty shall be computed upon the normal production of the acreage on the farm planted to cotton in excess of the farm acreage allotment. If a downward adjustment in the amount of the farm marketing excess is made pursuant to the proviso in section 1345 of this title, the difference between the amount of the penalty computed upon the farm marketing excess before such adjustment and as computed upon the adjusted farm marketing excess shall be returned to or allowed the producer.
(c) The person liable for payment or collection of the penalty shall be liable also for interest thereon at the rate of 6 per centum per annum from the date the penalty becomes due until the date of payment of such penalty.
(d) Until the penalty on the farm marketing excess is paid, all cotton produced on the farm and marketed by the producer shall be subject to the penalty provided by this section and a lien on the entire crop of cotton produced on the farm shall be in effect in favor of the United States.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, for the 1966 through 1970 crops of upland cotton, if the farm operator elects to forgo price support for any such crop of cotton by applying to the county committee of the county in which the farm is located for additional acreage under this subsection, he may plant an acreage not in excess of the farm acreage allotment established under section 1344 of this title plus the acreage apportioned to the farm from the national export market acreage reserve, and all cotton of such crop produced on the farm may be marketed for export free of any penalty under this section: Provided, That the foregoing shall be applicable only to farms which had upland cotton allotments for 1965 and are operated by the same operator as in 1965 or by his heir.

For the 1966 crop the national export market acreage reserve shall be 250,000 acres. For each subsequent crop—

If the carryover at the end of the marketing year for the preceding crop is estimated to be less than the carryover at the beginning of such marketing year by—

The national export market acreage reserve shall be—

At least 1,000,000 bales

250,000 acres.

At least 750,000 bales, but not as much as 1,000,000 bales

187,500 acres.

At least 500,000 bales, but not as much as 750,000 bales

125,000 acres.

At least 250,000 bales, but not as much as 500,000 bales

62,500 acres.

Less than 250,000 bales

None.

The national export market acreage reserve shall be apportioned to farms by the Secretary on the basis of the applications therefor. No application shall be accepted for a greater acreage than is available on the farm for the production of upland cotton. After apportionments are thus made to farms, the Secretary shall provide farm operators a reasonable time in which to cancel their applications (and agreements to forgo price support) and surrender to the Secretary through the county committee the export market acreage assigned to the farm. Acreage so surrendered shall be available for reassignment by the Secretary to other eligible farms to which export market acreage has been apportioned on the basis of the applications remaining outstanding. The operator of any farm who elects to forgo price support for any such crop under this subsection shall not be eligible for price support on cotton of such crop produced on any other farm in which he has a controlling or substantial interest as determined by the Secretary. Acreage planted to cotton in excess of the farm acreage allotment established under section 1344 of this title shall not be taken into account in establishing future State, county, and farm acreage allotments. The operator of any farm to which export market acreage is apportioned, or the purchasers of cotton produced on such farm, shall, under regulations issued by the Secretary, furnish a bond or other undertaking prescribed by the Secretary providing for the exportation, without benefit of any Government cotton export subsidy and within such time as the Secretary may specify, of all cotton produced on such farm for such year. The bond or other undertaking given pursuant to this subsection shall provide that, upon failure to comply with the terms and conditions thereof, the person furnishing such bond or other undertaking shall be liable for liquidated damages in an amount which the Secretary determines and specifies in such undertaking will approximate the amount payable on excess cotton under subsection (a). The Secretary may, in lieu of the furnishing of a bond or other undertaking, provide for the payment of an amount equal to that which would be payable as liquidated damages under such bond or other undertaking. If such bond or other undertaking is not furnished, or if payment in lieu thereof is not made as provided herein, at such time and in the manner required by regulations of the Secretary, or if the acreage planted to cotton on the farm exceeds the sum of the farm acreage allotment established under section 1344 of this title and the acreage apportioned to the farm from the national export market acreage reserve, the acreage planted to cotton in excess of the farm acreage allotment established under section 1344 of this title shall be regarded as excess acreage for purposes of this section and section 1345 of this title. Amounts collected by the Secretary under this subsection shall be remitted to the Commodity Credit Corporation.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 346, 52 Stat. 59; Aug. 29, 1949, ch. 518, § 1, 63 Stat. 674; Pub. L. 89–321, title IV, § 401(2), Nov. 3, 1965, 79 Stat. 1192; Pub. L. 90–559, § 1(2), Oct. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 996.)
§ 1347. Repealed. Pub. L. 98–88, § 2, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 494
§ 1348. Payments in kind to equalize cost of cotton to domestic and foreign users; rules and regulations; termination date; persons eligible; amount; terms and conditions; raw cotton in inventory

In order to maintain and expand domestic consumption of upland cotton produced in the United States and to prevent discrimination against the domestic users of such cotton, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commodity Credit Corporation, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, is authorized and directed for the period beginning with April 11, 1964 and ending July 31, 1966, to make payments through the issuance of payment-in-kind certificates to persons other than producers in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines will eliminate inequities due to differences in the cost of raw cotton between domestic and foreign users of such cotton, including such payments as may be necessary to make raw cotton in inventory on April 11, 1964 available for consumption at prices consistent with the purposes of this section: Provided, That for the period beginning August 1 of the marketing year for the first crop for which price support is made available under section 1444(b) of this title, and ending July 31, 1966, such payments shall be made in an amount which will make upland cotton produced in the United States available for domestic use at a price which is not in excess of the price at which such cotton is made available for export. The Secretary may extend the period for performance of obligations incurred in connection with payments made for the period ending July 31, 1966, or may make payments on raw cotton in inventory on July 31, 1966, at the rate in effect on such date. No payments shall be made hereunder with respect to 1966 crop cotton.

(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 348, as added Pub. L. 88–297, title I, § 101, Apr. 11, 1964, 78 Stat. 173; amended Pub. L. 89–321, title IV, § 401(1), Nov. 3, 1965, 79 Stat. 1192.)
§ 1349. Export market acreage
(a) Supplementary allotments for 1964 and 1965; acreage limitation; apportionment among States and farms; “export market acreage” on any farm; farm acreage allotment for farms with export acreage; additional allotment; establishment of future allotments without regard to export acreage; exclusion of extra-long-staple cotton and farms receiving additional price support for 1964 and 1965
(b) Bond, other undertaking, and lieu payments for exportation without subsidy and within specified period; terms and conditions; liquidated damages; farm acreage allotment upon noncompliance with conditions; remissions to CCC for defraying costs of encouraging export sales of cotton
(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 349, as added Pub. L. 88–297, title I, § 106(1), Apr. 11, 1964, 78 Stat. 175.)
§ 1350. National base acreage allotment
(a) Establishment
(b) Apportionment to States
(c) Apportionment to counties
(d) Adjustment of apportionment bases for counties
(e) Apportionment to farms
(1) The county base acreage allotment for the 1971 crop shall be apportioned to old cotton farms in the county on the basis of the domestic acreage allotment established for the farm for the 1970 crop. For the 1972 and each subsequent crop of upland cotton the county base acreage allotment shall be apportioned to old cotton farms in the county on the basis of the farm base acreage allotment established for such farm for the preceding year. The county committee may reserve not in excess of 10 per centum of the county allotment which, in addition to the acreage made available under the proviso in subsection (c), shall be used for (A) establishing allotments for farms on which cotton was not planted (or regarded as planted) during any of the three calendar years immediately preceding the year for which the allotment is made, on the basis of land, labor, and equipment available for the production of cotton, crop-rotation practices, and the soil and other physical facilities affecting the production of cotton; and (B) making adjustments of the farm allotments established under this paragraph so as to establish allotments which are fair and reasonable in relation to the factors set forth in this paragraph and abnormal conditions of production on such farms, or in making adjustments in farm allotments to correct inequities and to prevent hardships. No part of such reserve shall be apportioned to a farm to reflect new cropland brought into production after
(2) If for any crop the total acreage of cotton planted on a farm is less than the farm base acreage allotment, the farm base acreage allotment used as a base for the succeeding crop shall be reduced by the percentage by which such planted acreage was less than such farm base acreage allotment, but such reduction shall not exceed 20 per centum of the farm base acreage allotment for the preceding crop. If not less than 90 per centum of the base acreage allotment for the farm is planted to cotton, the farm shall be considered to have an acreage planted to cotton equal to 100 per centum of such allotment. For purposes of this paragraph, an acreage on the farm which the Secretary determines was not planted to cotton because of drought, flood, other natural disaster, or a condition beyond the control of the producer shall be considered to be an acreage planted to cotton. For the purpose of this paragraph, the Secretary shall, in the event producers of wheat or feed grains are permitted to do so, permit producers of cotton to have acreage devoted to soybeans, wheat, feed grains, guar, castor beans, triticale, oats, rye or such other crops as the Secretary may deem appropriate considered as devoted to the production of cotton to such extent and subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines will not impair the effective operation of the cotton or soybean program.
(3) If no acreage is planted to cotton for any three consecutive crop years on any farm which had a farm base acreage allotment for such years, such farm shall lose its base acreage allotment.
(f) Surrender of farm base acreage allotments
(g) Compliance with set-aside requirements
(h) Transfer of farm base acreage allotments not planted because of natural disaster or conditions beyond control of producer
(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title III, § 350, as added Pub. L. 88–297, title I, § 105, Apr. 11, 1964, 78 Stat. 175; amended Pub. L. 89–321, title IV, § 401(3), Nov. 3, 1965, 79 Stat. 1193; Pub. L. 90–559, § 1(2), Oct. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 996; Pub. L. 91–524, title VI, § 601(4), Nov. 30, 1970, 84 Stat. 1372; Pub. L. 93–86, § 1(19)(A), (D)–(G), Aug. 10, 1973, 87 Stat. 233.)
§ 1350a. Repealed. Pub. L. 96–470, title I, § 102(e), Oct. 19, 1980, 94 Stat. 2237