Home Farm Policy Menu Making Sense of Federal Programs Production Flexibility Contract Requirements Sustainable Farming Connection Where farmers find and share information. Making Sense of Federal Programs: Production Flexibility Contract Requirements Production flexibility contracts give farmers significant choices in what to produce on land covered by the contracts. While considerably more flexible than the old system of crop bases and deficiency payments, the contracts still include a few restrictions on what you can do with land in the program. Farmers must use contract acreage for an agricultural or related activity. Conservation uses, pasture, growing trees, and leaving the land fallow (if weeds are controlled) are all allowed. In addition, farmers may not raise fruits and vegetables on contract acreage, except: Lentils, mung beans, and dry peas may be grown on contract acreage even though they are vegetables. Fruits and vegetables planted for green manure, haying, or grazing are permitted. Double-cropped fruits and vegetables may be raised and harvested on contract acreage in regions which have a history of double-cropping commodities with fruits and vegetables. An individual farm does not have to have a double-cropping history for this exception to apply. Fruits and vegetables may be harvested from contract acreage if USDA determines that there is a history of planting fruits and vegetables on the farm. Under this exception the farmer will lose part of the transition contract payments. A specific fruit or vegetable may be harvested on contract acreage if USDA determines that the farmer has an established history of planting that fruit or vegetable. Under this exception the farmer will lose part of the contract payments. Top of Page Next: USDA Conservation Compliance, Sodbuster and Swampbuster Home Farm Policy Menu Making Sense of Federal Programs Production Flexibility Contract Requirements ©1997 Committee for Sustainable Farm Publishing Please read about our usage permission policy and disclaimer. Send comments, suggestions and questions to the site author: Craig Cramer cdcramer@clarityconnect.com Coded using HoTMetaL Pro 3.0. Best viewed in Netscape 3.0 or later. Please see our credits page for more information. http://sunsite.unc.edu/farming-connection/farmpoli/features/makesens/prodflex.htm