Food and Agriculture Act of 1977

Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to provide price and income protection for farmers and assure consumers of an abundance of food and fiber at reasonable prices, and for other purposes.
Nicknames
  • 1977 U.S. Farm Bill
  • Agriculture Act
Enacted bythe 95th United States Congress
EffectiveSeptember 29, 1977
Citations
Public law95–113
Statutes at Large91 Stat. 913
Codification
Titles amended7 U.S.C.: Agriculture
U.S.C. sections amended7 U.S.C. ch. 35A § 1421
Legislative history
Major amendments
Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980

The United States Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (P.L. 95–113, also known as the 1977 U.S. Farm Bill) was an omnibus farm bill. The S. 275 legislation was passed by the 95th U.S. Congressional session and signed into law by the 39th President of the United States Jimmy Carter on September 29, 1977.[1]

It increased price and income supports and established a farmer-owned reserve for grain. It also established a new two-tiered pricing program for peanuts. Under the peanut program, producers were given an acreage allotment on which a poundage quota was set. Growers could produce in excess of their quota, within their acreage allotment, but would receive the higher of the two price-support levels only for the quota amount. Peanuts in excess of the quota are referred to as "additionals", or additional peanuts.

Title XIII was designated the Food Stamp Act of 1977 and permanently amended the Food Stamp Act of 1964 by eliminating the purchase requirement and simplifying eligibility requirements.[2]

Title XIV was designated the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act and made USDA the leading federal agency for agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs. It also consolidated the funding for these programs.

  1. ^ Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Jimmy Carter: "Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 Remarks on Signing S. 275 Into Law.," September 29, 1977". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
  2. ^ "A Guide To Understanding The 1977 Food And Agricultural Legislation, by Thomas A. Stucker and WUliam T. Boehm; National Economic Analysis Division; Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service; U.S.Department of Agriculture. AER-411". Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2020-12-04.