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USDA rule changes AGI, actively engaged requirements

by Georgia Farm Bureau


Posted on Sep 02, 2020 at 0:00 AM


On Aug. 20, the USDA published a new rule in the Federal Register that changes Farm Service Agency (FSA) payment limitations required by the 2018 farm bill. The rule became effective at the time it was published.

The rule, published under Docket ID number CCC 2019-0007-0001, provided the secretary of agriculture latitude to grant waivers of the average adjusted gross income (AGI) requirements in some cases. The rule also adjusts definitions of family members for the purposes of determining payment eligibility for FSA programs.

Individuals or entities with a three-year average AGI of $900,000 or more are not eligible for farm payments under FSA programs. The new rule allows the secretary of agriculture to waive that limit for participants of some FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) land conservation contracts in cases where the secretary determines that the land under contract is environmentally sensitive land of special significance that would be protected as a result of the waiver.

The rule amends the scope of farm family members who are eligible to receive farm program payments to include first cousins, nieces and nephews.

To read the rule in its entirety, visit www.gfb.ag/20USDAAGIrule


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