Farmers Home Administration
Appointment and compensation of Administrator; transfer of powers, duties, and assets pertaining to agricultural credit
Powers of Secretary of Agriculture
The Secretary may—
administer his powers and duties through such national, area, State, or local offices and employees in the United States as he determines to be necessary and may authorize an office to serve the area composed of two or more States if he determines that the volume of business in the area is not sufficient to justify separate State offices, and until
accept and utilize voluntary and uncompensated services, and, with the consent of the agency concerned, utilize the officers, employees, equipment, and information of any agency of the Federal Government, or of any State, territory, or political subdivision;
within the limits of appropriations made therefor, make necessary expenditures for purchase or hire of passenger vehicles, and such other facilities and services as he may from time to time find necessary for the proper administration of this chapter;
compromise, adjust, reduce, or charge-off debts or claims (including debts and claims arising from loan guarantees), and adjust, modify, subordinate, or release the terms of security instruments, leases, contracts, and agreements entered into or administered by the Consolidated Farm Service Agency, Rural Utilities Service, Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, or a successor agency, or the Rural Development Administration, except for activities under the Housing Act of 1949 [42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.]. In the case of a security instrument entered into under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), the Secretary shall notify the Attorney General of the intent of the Secretary to exercise the authority of the Secretary under this paragraph. The Secretary may not require liquidation of property securing any farmer program loan or acceleration of any payment required under any farmer program loan as a prerequisite to initiating an action authorized under this subsection. After consultation with a local or area county committee, the Secretary may release borrowers or others obligated on a debt, except for debt incurred under the Housing Act of 1949, from personal liability with or without payment of any consideration at the time of the compromise, adjustment, reduction, or charge-off of any claim, except that no compromise, adjustment, reduction, or charge-off of any claim may be made or carried out after the claim has been referred to the Attorney General, unless the Attorney General approves;
except for activities conducted under the Housing Act of 1949 [42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.], collect all claims and obligations administered by the Farmers Home Administration, or under any mortgage, lease, contract, or agreement entered into or administered by the Farmers Home Administration and, if in his judgment necessary and advisable, pursue the same to final collection in any court having jurisdiction;
release mortgage and other contract liens if it appears that they have no present or prospective value or that their enforcement likely would be ineffectual or uneconomical;
obtain fidelity bonds protecting the Government against fraud and dishonesty of officers and employees of the Farmers Home Administration in lieu of faithful performance of duties bonds under section 14 1
consent to (A) long-term leases of facilities financed under this subchapter notwithstanding the failure of the lessee to meet any of the requirements of this subchapter if such long-term leases are necessary to ensure the continuation of services for which financing was extended to the lessor, and (B) the transfer of property securing any loan or financed by any loan or grant made, insured, or held by the Secretary under this chapter, or the provisions of any other law administered by the Rural Development Administration under this chapter or by the Farmers Home Administration, upon such terms as he deems necessary to carry out the purpose of the loan or grant or to protect the financial interest of the Government, and shall document the consent of the Secretary for the transfer of the property of a borrower in the file of the borrower; and
notwithstanding that an area ceases, or has ceased, to be “rural”, in a “rural area”, or an eligible area, make loans and grants, and approve transfers and assumptions, under this chapter on the same basis as though the area still was rural in connection with property securing any loan made, insured, or held by the Secretary under this chapter or in connection with any property held by the Secretary under this chapter.
Delinquent claims and obligations
Rural college coordinated strategy
In general
Consultation
Administration
Use
Source
(Pub. L. 87–128, title III, § 331,Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Effective Date of 2002 Amendment
Effective Date of 1991 Amendment
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Continuation of Small Farmer Training and Technical Assistance Program
Reamortization of Distressed Farmers Home Administration Loans From Revenues From Softwood Timber Crop Plantings on Marginal Land
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ‘Secretary’) may implement a program, pursuant to the recommendations contained in the study mandated by section 608 of the Agricultural Programs Adjustment Act of 1984 (7 U.S.C. 1421 [1981] note), under which a distressed loan (as determined by the Secretary) made or insured under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.), or a portion thereof, may be reamortized with the use of future revenue produced from the planting of softwood timber crops on marginal land (as determined by the Secretary) that—
was previously used to produce an agricultural commodity or as pasture; and
secures a loan made or insured under such Act.
Accrued interest on a loan reamortized under this section may be capitalized and interest charged on such interest.
All or a portion of the payments on such reamortized loan may be deferred until such softwood timber crop produces revenue or for a term of 45 years, whichever comes first.
Repayment of such reamortized loan shall be made not later than 50 years after the date of reamortization.
The interest rate on such reamortized loans shall be determined by the Secretary, but not in excess of the current average yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States with periods to maturity comparable to the average maturities of such loans, plus not to exceed 1 percent, as determined by the Secretary and adjusted to the nearest one-eighth of 1 percent.
To be eligible for such program—
the borrower of such reamortized loan must place not less than 50 acres of such land in softwood timber production;
such land (including timber) may not have any lien against such land other than a lien for—
a loan made or insured under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act [7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.] to secure such reamortized loan; or
a loan made under this section, at the time of reamortization or thereafter, that is subject to a lien on such land (including timber) in favor of the Secretary; and
the total amount of loans secured by such land (including timber) may not exceed $1,000 per acre.
To assist such borrowers to place such land in softwood timber production, the Secretary may make loans to such borrowers for such purpose in an aggregate amount not to exceed the actual cost of tree planting for land placed in the program.
Any such loan shall be secured by the land (including timber) on which the trees are planted.
Such loans shall be made on the same terms and conditions as are provided in this section for reamortized loans.
The Secretary shall issue such rules as are necessary to carry out this section, including rules prescribing terms and conditions for—
reamortizing and making loans under this section;
entering into security instruments and agreements under this section; and
management and harvesting practices of the timber crop.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
No more than 50,000 acres may be placed in such program.”