Agricultural Competitiveness Act of 1995

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Wheat

Title II: Feed Grains

Title III: Cotton

Title IV: Rice

Title V: Oilseeds

Title VI: Peanuts

Title VII: Sugar

Title VIII: General Commodity Provisions

Subtitle A: Amendments to Agricultural Act of 1949

Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Commodity Provisions

Subtitle C: Conforming Amendments

Subtitle D: Application

Agricultural Competitiveness Act of 1995 - Title I: Wheat - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 (Act) to extend and set forth wheat loan, payments, and acreage reduction programs. Establishes: (1) a minimum 85 percent loan and purchase level; (2) a $4.00 per bushel target price; and (3) a 75 percent non-paid base acreage.

Title II: Feed Grains - Amends the Act to extend and set forth feed grain loan, payments, and acreage reduction programs. Establishes: (1) a minimum 85 percent loan and purchase level; (2) target prices for corn ($2.75 per bushel), oats ($1.45 per bushel), grain sorghums ($2.61 per bushel), and barley (85.8 percent of corn price); and (3) a 75 percent non-paid base acreage.

Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend the silage recourse loan program.

Title III: Cotton - Amends the Act to extend and set forth upland cotton loan, payments, and acreage reduction programs. Establishes: (1) a $0.729 per pound target price; and (2) a 75 percent non-paid base acreage.

Extends: (1) the extra long staple cotton program; and (2) cottonseed and cottonseed oil price supports.

Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to extend cotton skiprow practices.

Amends the Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act to extend cotton classification services.

Title IV: Rice - Amends the Act to extend and set forth rice loan, payments, and acreage reduction programs. Establishes: (1) a minimum 85 percent loan and purchase level; (2) a $10.71 per hundredweight target price; and (3) a 75 percent non-paid base acreage.

Title V: Oilseeds - Amends the Act to extend and set forth the oilseed loan program. Establishes target prices for: (1) soybeans at $5.50 per bushel; (2) sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed at $9.75 per hundredweight; and (3) other oilseeds based upon soybean prices.

Title VI: Peanuts - Amends the Act to extend and revise the peanut program. Suspends marketing quota and acreage allotment provisions. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish national poundage quotas based upon domestic edible uses. Repeals: (1) undermarketing poundage increases; and (2) the special poundage allocation for Texas. Revises poundage quota transfer provisions. Extends experimental and research programs.

Limits: (1) price support increases or decreases to five percent annually; and (2) entry into the New Mexico area marketing association to New Mexico-produced peanuts.

Requires imported and exported peanuts to comply with U.S. quality standards. Extends assessment provisions.

Title VII: Sugar - Amends the Act to extend and set forth sugar price support provisions. Establishes: (1) the sugarcane target price at 18 cents per pound; and (2) a two-tiered assessment for marketings within and in excess of base amounts.

Establishes a procedure to assure the supply of raw cane sugar.

Requires the establishment of marketing assessment bases.

Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend the reporting requirement regarding third party nation exporting of Cuban sugar into the United States.

Title VIII: General Commodity Provisions - Subtitle A: Amendments to Agricultural Act of 1949 - Amends the Act to extend: (1) deficiency and land diversion payments; and (2) support price and established price adjustments.

Permits: (1) alternative crops to be planted on 100 percent (currently 25 percent) of crop acreage base without penalty; and (2) planting of crops on up to 25 percent of historical soybean acreage without loss of agricultural program eligibility.

Subtitle B: Miscellaneous Commodity Provisions - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend payment limitations.

Amends the Options Pilot Program Act of 1990 to extend the options pilot program.

Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to extend the National Agricultural Cost of Production Standards Review Board.

Subtitle C: Conforming Amendments - Makes specified conforming amendments.

Subtitle D: Application - Sets forth application dates for amendments made by this Act.