Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana
Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for Indiana
Home > Senator Lugar's Farm Bill > Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws

Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws

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Dacthal (DCPA) — A selective herbicide, trade name Dacthal, especially used on vegetables. DCPA and its breakdown products are environmentally significant because they may pose unreasonable risks to certain nontarget plants and animals. In addition, EPA is gathering data on occupational exposures due to concerns about chronic cancer risks. EPA has determined that DCPA and its metabolites do not currently pose a significant cancer or chronic non-cancer risk to the general public from most uses.
Dairy and Tobacco Adjustment Act of 1983 — Title I of P.L. 98-180 is known as the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983, authorized a voluntary dairy diversion program, which was operated between January 1984 and March 1985. Producers who elected to participate in the program and reduce their milk marketings by between 5% and 30% below their base production were paid $10 per hundred pounds (cwt.) for these reductions. For a 16-month period (12/1/83- 3/31/85), all dairy farmers were assessed 50¢/cwt. on all milk marketed to help defray the cost of the diversion program. Also, Title I authorized a national dairy promotion program (or, check-off program) for generic dairy product promotion, research and nutrition education. This self-help program is funded through a permanent 15¢/cwt. assessment on all milk production, and is administered by a board of dairy farmers who are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Title II was designated the Tobacco Adjustment Act of 1983. Title II provided for reduced levels of price support for tobacco, the prohibition of lease and transfer of flue-cured quota, the mandatory sale of allotments and quotas by nonfarming entities, the required inspection of imported tobacco, and various other modifications to the tobacco programs.
Dairy Diversion Program — A voluntary supply control program authorized by the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-180, Title I) under which producers in 1984-85 received payments of $10/cwt. of milk, for reducing their milk marketings by between 5% to 30% below an earlier base period.
Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP) — A program that offers subsidies to exporters of U.S. dairy products to help them compete with other nations. USDA pays cash to exporters as bonuses to help them sell certain U.S. dairy products at prices below the exporter's cost of acquiring them. The program was originally authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198) and extended by the 1990 farm bill (P.L. 101-624) and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-465). The total tonnage and dollar amounts of these and other export subsidies have been limited by the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) extended the program through 2007.
Dairy Market Loss Assistance (DMLA) — A series of emergency direct payment programs for dairy farmers funded over three consecutive years (FY1999-2001) by three separate emergency supplemental appropriations measures. The primary purpose of these payments was to supplement dairy farmer income in response to volatile farm milk prices. Dairy farmers received supplemental payments of $200 million provided by the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (P.L. 105-277) in DMLA-I; $125 million from the FY2000 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 106-78) in DMLA-II; and $675 million in emergency provisions in the FY2001 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 106-387) in DMLA-III.
Dairy Price Support Program — The federal program that maintains a minimum farm price for milk used in the manufacture of dairy products. USDA indirectly assures a minimum price for milk by purchasing any cheddar cheese, nonfat dry milk, and butter offered to it by dairy processors at stated prices. These purchase prices are set high enough to enable dairy processors to pay farmers at least the support price for the milk they use in manufacturing these products. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 1501) mandated a support price of $9.90/cwt, effective through December 31, 2007, when the program by law is scheduled to expire. Also, the farm bill established a Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program that makes direct payments to participating dairy farmers whenever the minimum monthly market price for farm milk used for fluid consumption in Boston falls below $16.94 per hundredweight (cwt.). The MILC program expires September 30, 2007.
Dairy Promotion Program — The Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-180, Title I) authorized a national producer program for dairy product promotion, research, and nutrition education as part of a comprehensive strategy to increase human consumption of milk and dairy products and to reduce dairy surpluses. Dairy farmers fund this self-help program through a mandatory 15¢/cwt. assessment on all milk produced and marketed commercially in the 48 contiguous states. Dairy farmers can direct up to 10¢ of this assessment for contributions to qualified regional, state or local dairy product promotion, research or nutrition education programs. The national program is administered by the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (Dairy Board), a group of 36 dairy farmers appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to staggered 3-year terms. This program should not be confused with a separate, processor-funded National Fluid Milk Promotion Program. www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/dairyrp.htm.
Dairy Termination Program — Also called the whole herd buy-out, this program was authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198). Under it, farmers received USDA payments for agreeing to remove their entire dairy herds from production for at least 5 years.
Data call-in — A part of the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) process of developing key required test data, especially on the long-term, chronic effects of existing pesticides, in advance of scheduled Registration Standard reviews. Data call-in from manufacturers is an adjunct of the registration standards program intended to expedite re-registration.
DDT — The abbreviated name of a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloromethane. It is persistent in the environment and biomagnifies in birds of prey. The EPA canceled U.S. registration of virtually all but emergency uses of DDT in 1972.
Dead zone / hypoxic zone — An area in the Gulf of Mexico off the mouth of the Mississippi River covering about 6,000 square miles where there is not enough oxygen to support fish and shellfish populations. The oxygen depletion is caused by an excessive amount of nutrients that are washed downstream from throughout the Mississippi River watershed. Many of these nutrients are believed to originate from agricultural activities, and the largest portion, over 30%, has been traced to the upper Mississippi drainage, according to research prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Debt-asset ratio — A financial ratio that measures solvency by calculating the percentage of a farm operator's assets that are financed by debt. For example, a ratio of 0.4 means that for every $100 of assets the operator has $40 of debt. The ratio indicates to a lender the degree of security of a loan. Higher values indicate greater risk. Although a safe or acceptable level varies greatly by enterprise, a debt-asset ratio in excess of 0.40 may indicate financial stress. A ratio of 0 means that the operator owes no debt; a ratio greater than 1 means that the borrower's debts exceed the value of assets, indicating the insolvency of the farm business. At the worst point of the credit crisis of the 1980s, the overall farm debt-asset ratio reached 0.237, compared to an average of 0.159 for the decade of the 1990s.
Decouple — The concept of separating federal farm payments from the requirement that farmers produce specific crops and/or divert land from the production of specific crops. A chief goal of decoupling is to remove a seemingly inherent contradiction in traditional policy: asking farmers to reduce production, while implicitly encouraging more output by tying their benefits to each unit produced. The decoupling concept was first introduced during debate over policy options in the 1985 omnibus farm bill, and was effectively implemented by policy changes made by the 1996 farm bill (P.L. 104-127). Under the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 101-171, Title I), direct payments are decoupled from both production and prices, counter-cyclical payments are linked to market prices, and marketing loan program benefits are linked to both production and prices.
Deductions (food stamps) — In the Food Stamp program, the gross monthly income of an applicant/recipient household is reduced by a series of deductions so as to better reflect the amount of money the household has available for food spending. The resulting net income amount is used in determining benefits and, in some cases, eligibility. Deductions include: (1) a standard deduction for all applicants/recipients, (2) an earned income deduction to reflect taxes and work expenses, (3) a deduction for dependent care expenses related to work/training, (4) a deduction for child support payments, (5) a medical expense deduction for the elderly/disabled, and (6) a deduction for excessively high shelter expenses.
Deferred pricing — A cash forward contract that provides for determining price by formula at a later date. This also may be called "booking the basis," when the formula sets price relative to a futures price.
Deficiency payments — Direct government payments made to farmers who participated in annual commodity programs for wheat, feed grains, rice, or cotton, prior to 1996. The crop-specific deficiency payment rate was based on the difference between the legislatively set target price and the lower national average market price during a specified time. The total payment was equal to the payment rate, multiplied by a farm's eligible payment acreage and the program payment yield established for the particular farm. In the latter years of the program, farmers could receive up to one-half of their projected deficiency payments at program signup. If actual deficiency payments, which were determined after the crop year, were less than advance deficiency payments, the farmer was required to reimburse the government for the difference, except for zero, 50/85-92 payments. The 1996 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) eliminated deficiency payments and replaced them with production flexibility contract payments. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 101-171, Sec. 1104) reinstituted deficiency payments as counter-cyclical payments with somewhat different payment calculations.
Defoliant — A chemical that removes leaves from trees and growing plants. Defoliants are regulated by EPA as pesticides.
DEIP — Dairy Export Incentive Program.
Delaney Clause — The Delaney Clause in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA; 21 U.S.C. 321 et seq.) states that no additive shall be deemed to be safe for human food if it is found to induce cancer in man or animals. It is an example of the zero tolerance concept in food safety policy. The Delaney prohibition appears in three separate parts of the FFDCA: Section 409 on food additives; Section 512, relating to animal drugs in meat and poultry; and Section 721 on color additives. The Section 409 prohibition applied to many pesticide residues until enactment of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-170, Sec. 404). This legislation removed pesticide residue tolerances from Delaney Clause constraints.
Delayed pricing — A type of deferred pricing that provides for transfer of title before the price is determined and final settlement made. Contracts including this feature are sometimes called price-later contracts.
Delivery month — The specified month within which a futures contract matures and can be settled by delivery. Also referred to as contract month.
Delivery point — A location where a commodity can be delivered to fulfill a futures contract.
Delivery — In settlement of a futures contract, the tender and receipt of the actual commodity, the cash value of the commodity, or of a delivery instrument covering the commodity (e.g., warehouse receipts or shipping certificates). Futures contracts may be settled by delivery, but more often they are settled by offset or cash. Each futures exchange has specific procedures for delivery of a commodity.
Demurrage — The charge that a shipper may be required to pay for detaining a rail car (or water carrier) longer than necessary to load it. What length of time is considered reasonable, and the level of demurrage charges, are frequently points of dispute between agricultural shippers and the railroads, particularly in proceedings before federal or state transportation regulatory bodies.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) — USDA was originally established in 1862 and raised to cabinet status in 1889. In FY2004 it had a workforce equal to 111,501 staff years, working in some 28 separate agencies, carrying out program activities valued at $110.886 billion, with net federal budgetary outlays of $71.769 billion. Forestry, natural resource, and farm activities utilized 50% of the staff time. However, about 63% of USDA expenditures went to domestic food assistance programs. Over 90% of the staff are located in local, state, and regional field offices away from the Washington, DC, headquarters. Approximately 70% of USDA spending is classified as mandatory spending, which by definition is not constrained by the annual appropriations process. Eligibility for mandatory programs is written into law; any individual or entity that meets the eligibility requirements is entitled to a payment as authorized by the law. The vast majority of mandatory spending is in the Food Stamp Program and certain other food and nutrition programs, the farm commodity programs, the crop insurance program, and the Conservation Reserve Program. The other roughly 30% of USDA budget is classified as discretionary and is subject to annual appropriations, including rural development, agricultural research and education, agricultural credit, international food aid, food marketing and inspection, forestry, and certain nutrition programs. All USDA discretionary programs are funded through an annual Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (except the Forest Service, which is funded through the Department of the Interior appropriations act). Annual appropriations are made to the food stamp and other mandatory nutrition programs based on estimated spending needs. However, supplemental appropriations are generally made if and when these estimates fall short of required spending. An annual appropriation is made to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which funds the commodity programs and the Conservation Reserve Program, in order to cover its past net realized losses. Most, but not all, USDA programs are under the congressional authorizing jurisdiction of the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. www.usda.gov.
Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 — Title II of P.L. 103-354 was designated the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 and gave the Secretary of Agriculture broad authority to reorganize USDA to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness, and economy. The law called for consolidation of agencies and offices, as well as a reduction in personnel of 7,500 by the end of FY1999.
Department of the Interior (DOI) — This cabinet-level agency, also known as the Home Department, was created on March 3, 1849 by an Act of Congress to oversee and manage the vast national or public domain. Today this Department includes eight bureaus whose functions include managing National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, collecting revenues from mineral resources, and operating programs developing, protecting, and enhancing resources on the Nation's public lands. www.doi.gov.
Dermal toxicity — The ability of a pesticide or other chemical to poison people or animals via skin contact. Many organophosphate pesticides exhibit high dermal toxicity.
DES — Diethylstilbestrol.
Desert Terminal Lakes Program — This program, enacted in of the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 2507), authorizes the transfer of $200 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to the Bureau of Reclamation to provide water to "at risk natural desert terminal lakes." The Bureau cannot use these funds to purchase or lease water rights.
Desiccant — A chemical agent that absorbs moisture; desiccants can be used to control certain insect pests or mildew, and also to dry foliage before harvest (as with potatoes). Desiccants are regulated as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA; 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.).
Designated uses of water — Water uses identified in state water quality standards that must be achieved and maintained as required under the Clean Water Act (P.L. 92-500, as amended; 33 U.S.C. 1251-1387). Uses can include cold water fisheries, public water supply, irrigation, etc.
Desired future condition — Desired future condition of federal forests and rangeland resources is based on ecological, social, and economic considerations during the land and resource management planning process. Desired future condition is usually expressed as ecological status or management status of vegetation and desired soil qualities.
Desired plant community — The plant community that has been determined through a land use or management plan to best meet the plan's objectives for a site. A desired plant community is consistent with the site's capability to produce the required resource attributes through natural succession, management intervention, or a combination of both.
Developed areas — A classification in the natural resources inventory, previously called urban and built-up areas, that includes cities, villages, other built-up areas of more than 10 acres, industrial sites, railroad yards, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, shooting ranges, institutional and public administration sites, and similar areas. The 1997 national resources inventory placed over 98 million acres in this category, an increase of 25 million acres since 1982.
Developed countries — A term to differentiate the more highly industrialized nations, including most of those that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, from developing countries or less developed countries.
Developing countries — Countries with a low per capita income. Terms such as less developed country, least developed country, underdeveloped country, poor, southern or third world have been used to describe developing countries. The Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act of 1954 (P.L. 83-480) defines developing country, for purposes of receiving U.S. food aid, as "a country that has a shortage of foreign exchange earnings and has difficulty meeting all of its food needs through commercial channels" (Section 402(4), 7. U.S.C. 1732). Under the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, the World Trade Organization (WTO) accords special and differential treatment to developing countries, i.e., longer periods of time (and for the least developed countries, exemptions) for phasing in required reductions in tariffs, export subsidies, and trade-distorting domestic support. The WTO allows considerable latitude to countries to designate themselves as developing for purposes of meeting WTO obligations. However, a country's status as developed or developing can become an issue if a country is applying for membership in the WTO. China, for example, as a candidate for WTO membership, argued that it should be considered a developing country and should therefore be given special and differential treatment with respect to implementing WTO rules and disciplines. The United States, the European Union, Japan, and other WTO developed country members argued that China was too important a presence in world agriculture to be admitted to the WTO as a developing country.
Development easement — A legal agreement by which a landowner surrenders the right to develop a designated parcel of property. Some local and state governments have programs to acquire development easements from private landowners to prevent conversion of farmland to other uses.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans — These are recommendations for food choices for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. They serve as the basis for federal food assistance and nutrition education programs. They are updated by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services every 5 years. The most recent guidelines were released in January 2005. www.healthierus.gov
Dietary supplements — Defined by law as a vitamin, mineral, herb, botanical, an amino acid, a dietary substance added to supplement the diet to increase the total dietary intake, or concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any ingredients described above. Supplements cannot be represented for use as a conventional food or sole item of a meal or the diet; and they must be labeled as dietary supplements. Regulatory authority rests with the Food and Drug Administration. There are concerns about the degree of regulation by FDA for safety and claims made for the products by manufacturers.
Diethylstibestrol (DES) — A synthetic estrogen hormone. DES was used widely in the United States as a growth promoter in cattle and sheep and as a treatment for estrogen-deficiency disorders in veterinary medicine, and for postcoital contraception. However, because of its carcinogenic properties and other adverse effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked all use of it in food-producing animals.
Differential (preferential) assessment — Basing the valuation of farmland for property tax purposes on its use for farming rather than on its highest and best use, such as potential development. Every state has some form of differential assessment for agricultural lands. Types of differential assessment include preferential assessment, deferred taxation, and restrictive agreement. Often the lower tax rate is offered for a specified time period. In those instances, if the land is developed within that time period, the beneficiary must repay some portion of the accrued tax reduction. At least 2 states, Wisconsin and Michigan, provide the preferential benefit to farms through state income tax reductions rather than property taxes.
Digital divide — The "digital divide" refers generally to the difference between many rural and urban areas, rich and poor countries, high-income versus low-income families, and racial/ethnic disparities in terms of the availability of advanced telecommunications technologies, e.g., broadband. Advanced telecommunication technologies are increasingly regarded as important infrastructure for economic development in rural areas, much as electricity and telephony were in earlier years. Because of relatively low population densities in many rural areas, private provision of broadband and other advanced telecommunications can be more costly on a per-capita basis. While many rural areas have achieved rough parity in computer use (e.g., Internet services) with urban areas in many telecommunication technologies, rural-urban disparities persist. Rural areas, for example, are now lagging behind central cities and urban areas in broadband penetration at 7.3%, compared to 12.2% and 11.8%, respectively. At almost every income level, those households in rural areas are less likely to own computers than households in urban or central city areas. At every income level, households in rural areas are significantly less likely to have home Internet access than those in urban or central city areas. Black households in rural areas are one-third less likely to own a computer than the average U.S. Black household, and are two-fifths less likely to access the Internet than the average U.S. Black household. For rural areas, the Kindergarten-12th grade school is a popular point of Internet access: 30.0% of rural persons use the school for Internet access outside the home, compared to a national average of 21.8% (data source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration).
Dioxin — Any of a group of toxic chlorinated compounds known chemically as dibenzo-p-dioxins (or the most toxic of these compounds, 2,3,7,8 tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin). They are produced inadvertently as a by-product of chemical production or combustion and are widespread pollutants in the environment.
Direct export credit — See GSM-5, Direct Export Credit Program.
Direct marketing; farmer-to-consumer direct marketing — Any arrangement where the producer (or representative) is selling products directly to the end user. Typical forms of direct marketing are farmers' markets and roadside stands. Other examples include subscription farming or community supported agriculture and regular delivery of fresh farm produce by farmers to homes or restaurants.
Direct payments — Generally, payments (usually in cash but sometimes in commodity certificates) made directly to producers in conjunction with participation in commodity support programs, conservation programs, and disaster assistance programs. Under the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 101-171, Title I), producers of covered commodities and peanuts are eligible to receive fixed, decoupled direct payments (replacing what previously were called contract payments), counter-cyclical payments, and loan deficiency payments (or marketing loan gains). Several other loan commodities also are eligible for loan deficiency payments.
Direct Payments Program (DP or DPP) — Under the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) created by the 2002 farm bill for covered commodities and peanuts (P.L. 101-171, Sec. 1101-1108 and 1301-1310), fixed, decoupled direct payments are one element and counter-cyclical payments (CCP) are the other element. Direct payments replaced what previously were called contract payments under the 1996 farm bill. Counter-cyclical payments are analogous to target price deficiency payments (operational after the 1973 farm bill but discontinued by the 1996 farm bill).
Disaster payments — Direct federal payments provided to crop producers when either planting is prevented or crop yields are abnormally low because of adverse weather and related conditions. Between 1988 and 2005, ad hoc disaster legislation was enacted for each crop year, providing a total of nearly $20 billion in direct disaster payments to farmers. These payments were made both to producers with crop insurance and those without insurance.
Discharge — In water resources, the term refers to the flow of surface water in a stream or canal or the outflow of ground water from a flowing artisian well, ditch, or spring. In environmental protection, the term is used synonymously with effluent or emission as a term of point source pollution release.
Discretionary spending — The portion of federal spending (other than appropriated entitlements) that is provided in annual appropriations acts. Approximately one-fourth of USDA spending is considered discretionary, and includes agricultural research, rural development, agricultural credit, marketing and regulatory programs, meat and poultry inspection, foreign food aid, and certain conservation and natural resource programs, among other programs.
Disease vectors — Plants or animals that harbor and may transmit pests and diseases to crops or livestock.
Dispute settlement process — As related to trade, this is the process administered by the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body to examine and judge violations of agreed upon trade rules. A dispute arises when one country takes a trade policy measure or some action that one or more other World Trade Organization (WTO) members considers to be breaking the WTO agreements or to be a failure to live up to obligations. Steps and approximate timetables include consultation (60 days); establishment of a dispute panel (45 days); final panel report to parties in the dispute (6 months); final panel report to WTO members (3 weeks); adoption of report by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) (60 days). Without appeal, the process would take about one year. With appeal, an additional 3 months would be required. If the country targeted by the complaint loses, it must follow the recommendations of the panel or appeals report and must state its intention to do so at a DSB meeting held within 30 days of the report's adoption. A country can be given a reasonable period of time in which to comply. If the losing country fails to implement the panel report, it has to enter into negotiations with the complaining country(ies) to determine an agreed upon level of compensation, e.g., tariff reductions of interest to the complaining side. If after 20 days, no satisfactory compensation has been agreed upon, the complaining side may ask the DSB for permission to impose limited trade sanctions (suspend concessions or obligations) against the loser. The DSB grants authorization within 30 days after the expiration of the reasonable period of time unless there is a consensus against the request for sanctions.
Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) — A separate entity of the World Trade Organization, composed of all member countries, established to administer dispute settlement rules and procedures. It is responsible for adjudicating disputes arising under various multilateral trade agreements. The DSB has authority to establish panels, adopt panel and Appellate Body reports, maintain surveillance of implementation of rulings and recommendations, and authorize suspension of concessions or other obligations under the various agreements.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) — The oxygen freely available in water, vital to fish and other aquatic life and necessary for the prevention of odors in water. DO levels are a critical indicator of a waterbody's ability to support desirable aquatic life. Secondary and advanced wastewater treatments are generally designed to ensure adequate DO in waste-receiving waters by removing, digesting, or oxidizing oxygen-demanding wastes (see Biological oxygen demand).
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant and Loan Program (DLT) — A program authorized by the 1990 farm bill (P.L. 101-624) to provide grants to rural schools and health care providers to help them invest in telecommunications facilities and equipment to bring educational and medical resources to rural areas where the services otherwise might be unavailable. The 1996 farm bill (P.L. 104-127) reauthorized and streamlined the program. The program was also reauthorized in the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 6203). DLT is administered by the Rural Utilities Service. www.rurdev.usda.gov/rus.
Diversion payments — Payments once but no longer made to farmers who voluntarily reduced their planted acreage of a program crop and devoted the land to a conservation use when a paid acreage diversion was in effect. Also, payments made to dairy producers in the late 1980s under the no longer operating dairy termination program who agreed to reduce their milk marketings below a prescribed level.
DMLA — Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program.
DNA — Deoxyribonucleic acid.
DO — Dissolved oxygen.
Dockage — A factor in the grading of some grains under the official U.S. Grain Standards. Wheat dockage is described as "weed seeds, weed stems, chaff, straw, or grain other than wheat, which can be readily removed from the wheat by the use of appropriate sieves and cleaning devices; also, underdeveloped, shriveled and small pieces of wheat kernels removed in properly separating, properly rescreening, or recleaning." The term also may be used to describe the amount of reduction in price taken because of a deficiency in quality.
Doctrine of prior appropriation — See Prior appropriation.
DOD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program — Under this program, the USDA transfers funding to the Department of Defense (DOD) to purchase and distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to states for use in schools meal programs. The program takes advantage of DOD's ability to deliver smaller shipments than typical of USDA distribution methods. www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/dod/default.htm.
Doha Development Agenda — The name given to the current round of multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the WTO. The name derives from the launch of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTNs) at a WTO ministerial conference held in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001 The name derives also from the stated aim of the negotiations to integrate more fully the developing countries into the WTO.
DOI — Department of the Interior. www.doi.gov.
Domestic farm labor — Individuals (and the family) who receive a substantial portion of their income from the production or handling of agricultural or aquacultural products. Farm owners and others may be eligible for Section 514 loans to make housing available for domestic farm labor. For purposes of housing loans, the farm laborers must be U.S. citizens or legally admitted for permanent residence in the United States. The term includes retired or disabled persons who were domestic farm labor at the time of retiring or becoming disabled.
Domestic price — The price at which a commodity trades within a country, in contrast to the world price. For those commodities not benefitting from some form of price support, the domestic price is determined by supply and demand. For commodities that receive price support, the domestic price is usually set by the loan rate or some comparable support level that serves as a price floor in the marketplace working in conjunction with any import quota that may be in effect.
Double cropping — The practice of consecutively producing two crops of either like or unlike commodities on the same land within the same year. An example of double cropping might be to harvest a wheat crop by early summer and then plant soybeans on that acreage for harvest in the fall. This practice is only possible in regions with long growing seasons.
Downer (or downed animals) — Commonly used term for animals that are disabled (nonambulatory) due to illness or injury. A longstanding issue is whether these animals are treated humanely or inhumanely by shippers, stockyards, and packers while they are being moved or held for slaughter. Legislation periodically is introduced in Congress to outlaw the sale or transfer of such animals, but livestock producer groups (who generally agree that livestock markets should not accept severely disabled animals) have long contended that their voluntary efforts to end harmful practices have already proven successful. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 10815) required USDA to investigate and submit a report on nonambulatory livestock, and to issue and enforce regulations, if deemed necessary, to provide for their humane treatment. The downer issue took on another dimension when bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was found in two North American cows in 2003. Many experts believe that nonambulatory cattle are at higher risk of harboring BSE; as a result, USDA on December 30, 2003, announced an immediate ban on the slaughter of downer cattle for human food use. At issue is how to monitor the hundreds of thousands of U.S. downer cattle (annual estimate) if they are no longer presented for observation and testing at meat packing plants; also at issue is what to do with their remains, and whether they have any non-food value.
DPP — Direct Payments Program
DPSP — Dairy price support program.
Drainage basin — The area of land that drains water, sediment, and dissolved materials to a common outlet or conveyance at some point along a stream channel. Another term describing the same physical setting is watershed.
Drainage wells — Wells drilled to carry excess water off agricultural fields. Because they act as a funnel from the surface to the groundwater below, drainage wells can contribute to groundwater pollution.
Drainage — Improving the productivity of agricultural land by removing excess water from the soil faster or in greater volume than under natural conditions by such means as ditches, drainage wells, or subsurface drainage tiles. See Swampbuster, and Wetlands.
Drought — In the Glossary of Meteorology (1959) a drought is defined as "a period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected area." Alternatively, a drought is a period of unusually persistent dry weather that lasts long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and/or water supply shortages. The severity of the drought depends upon the degree of moisture deficiency, the duration, and the size of the affected area. There are actually four different ways that drought can be defined: meteorological-a measure of departure of precipitation from normal (due to climatic differences, what might be considered a drought in one location of the country may not be a drought in another location); agricultural-refers to a situation where the amount of moisture in the soil no longer meets the needs of a particular crop; hydrological-occurs when surface and subsurface water supplies are below normal; socioeconomic-refers to the situation that occurs when physical water shortages begin to affect people. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration maintains a Drought Information Center http://www.drought.noaa.gov/.
Dryland farming — A system of producing crops in semi-arid regions (usually with less than 20 inches of annual rainfall) without irrigation. Dryland farmers often try to rebuild soil moisture by leaving the land unplanted or mulched in alternate years, called fallow cropland or summer fallowing.
DSB — Dispute Settlement Body.
DTP — Dairy Termination Program.
Dumping — Under World Trade Organization rules, dumping occurs when the price to the importer is less than the normal price of the product charged to the buyer in the country of origin or other 3rd country markets. Countervailing duties are permitted under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. When considering the imposition of an antidumping duty, the U.S. government examines the imported price of a product compared to its domestic price. In addition, before duties are imposed, injury or threat of injury to a U.S. industry must be determined.
Durum wheat — A species of wheat distinct from wheat used to make bread and other bakery products. The hard, flinty kernels of durum wheat are specially ground and refined to obtain semolina, a granular product used in making pasta items such as macaroni and spaghetti. Most durum wheats are grown in Mediterranean countries, the former Soviet Union countries, North America, and Argentina. U.S. durum production is centered in North Dakota, with other producing states being South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, California, and Arizona.
Duty, import — An import (customs) duty is a charge assessed by a government on an imported item at its point of customs entry into the country, and paid for by the importer; the term is now used interchangeably with tariff. In terms of assessing duties there are two basic types: an ad valorem duty is assessed in proportion to the value of the imported item, whereas a specific duty is assessed on the basis of a measure other than value, such as the quantity of the product imported. In addition, a compound or mixed duty, which is a combination of an ad valorem and specific duty, is occasionally used in the Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United States (HTSUS). Special duties such as anti-dumping duties or countervailing duties may also be levied on imports to offset the unfair price advantage of an imported article that is sold below normal value or subsidized by an exporting country.