Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act narrows the adjusted-gross-income payment limitation for certain farm assistance. For excepted payments and benefits under the 2014 farm bill and the FAIR Act, USDA could not deny assistance solely because a producer exceeds the normal income cap if at least 75 percent of the producer's average AGI comes from farming, ranching, silviculture, agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer marketing, agricultural equipment sales, or other agricultural activities the Secretary recognizes. The practical effect is to keep higher-income but agriculture-dependent operations eligible for covered disaster or assistance payments.
Who Benefits and How
Farmers with high farm-derived income benefit because disaster and assistance payments remain available when at least 75 percent of AGI comes from agriculture. Ranchers benefit from the same agriculture-income exception for covered payments and benefits. Silviculture operations benefit because forestry-derived income is included in the qualifying agricultural income test. Direct-to-consumer agricultural marketers benefit because qualifying income includes those marketing activities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA must verify whether at least 75 percent of a producer's average AGI comes from qualifying agricultural sources. Farm Service Agency offices must apply the exception when determining covered payment eligibility. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of payments to some producers who otherwise would have exceeded the AGI limit. Non-agricultural high-income applicants remain excluded from the exception.
Key Provisions
- Creates an exception to farm payment AGI limitations for agriculture-dependent producers.
- Requires at least 75 percent of average AGI to come from farming, ranching, silviculture, or related agricultural activities.
- Covers specified payments and benefits under the 2014 farm bill and the FAIR Act.
- Includes agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer marketing, and agricultural equipment sales in qualifying income.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Allows agricultural producers with at least 75 percent of average adjusted gross income from farming, ranching, forestry, or related agricultural activities to receive specified disaster and assistance payments despite the usual AGI payment limitation.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Disaster Assistance, Farm Programs
Primary Purpose
Allows agricultural producers with at least 75 percent of average adjusted gross income from farming, ranching, forestry, or related agricultural activities to receive specified disaster and assistance payments despite the usual AGI payment limitation.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Farmers with high farm-derived income
- Ranchers
- Silviculture operations
- Direct-to-consumer agricultural marketers
Identified Costs
- USDA
- Farm Service Agency offices
- Federal taxpayers
- Non-agricultural high-income applicants
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, …
Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mrs. Cammack, Ms. Lofgren, and Mr. …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Farmers with high farm-derived income, Ranchers, Silviculture operations
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology