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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H-2A program — The H-2A program is a temporary agricultural worker program for foreigners, which was established in its current form in 1986 (P.L. 99-603). It provides for the temporary admission of alien guestworkers to the United States on a nonimmigrant basis to perform agricultural work of a seasonal or temporary nature. The H-2A program takes its name from the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA, Section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(A)) that authorizes it. It is administered by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Justice. The H-2A program is designed to ensure agricultural employers an adequate supply of labor, while at the same time protecting the job opportunities of U.S. agricultural workers. Under the INA, the Attorney General may not approve an employer's petition to import H-2A workers unless the employer has applied to the Secretary of Labor for a certification that: (1) there are not sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, and qualified to perform the labor or services; and, (2) the employment of foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers who are similarly employed (see Adverse effect wage rate). The H-2A program is not subject to numerical limits.
Habitat conservation plans (HCPs) — Plans prepared under the Endangered Species Act (P.L. 93-205) by nonfederal parties wishing to obtain permits for incidental taking of threatened and endangered species. The number of HCPs has expanded enough in the last 5 years that there are concerns over cost, effectiveness, contributions to recovery, monitoring, and other issues.
Habitat suitability index (HSI) — A wildlife habitat suitability model providing habitat information for evaluating impacts on fish and wildlife resulting from water or land use changes.
Habitat — The place where a population (e.g., human, animal, plant, microorganism) lives, characterized by physical features (e.g., desert) and/or dominant plants (e.g., deciduous forest).
HACCP — Hazard analysis and critical control point. http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/haccp.html.
Handler — Generally, the first buyer of a farmer's commodity, often destined for fresh market use (in contrast to processing). Under marketing orders, handlers are defined as anyone who receives the commodity from producers, grades and packs it, and sells it to someone else for further marketing. Usually, the requirements spelled out in marketing orders technically apply to handlers, although producers absorb their effects.
Hard white wheat incentive payments — Payments authorized by the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 101-171, Sec. 1616) to encourage the production of hard white wheat. This wheat largely is produced by Australia.
Hardiness zones — See Plant hardiness zones.
Hardwood Trees — One major botanical group of trees, also known as deciduous. Members of this group have broad leaves, such as oaks, and heavy close-grained wood. The other major botanical group of trees is conifers, which have needle leaves. The CRP has provisions which encourage planting enrolled lands to hardwood trees.
Harmonization — The process of establishment, recognition, and application of internationally recognized measures or standards. Used most often in reference to tariffs (as in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)), technical standards, or sanitary and phytosanitary measures applied to imported food products.
Harmonized system — The international classification system for goods, implemented by most countries on January 1, 1998, which is used for tariff classification, trade statistics, and ultimately, transport documentation. Officially known as the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, conversion was begun by the Customs Cooperation Council in 1970 as a replacement for the Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature also known as the Brussels Tariff Nomenclature.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS, HTSUS) — This document, published and maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission, provides the applicable tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the United States. It is based on the international Harmonized System, the global classification system that is used to describe most world trade in goods. www.usitc.gov/taffairs.htm.
Hart-Scott-Rodino — The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-435) established a notification and review process that precedes mergers and acquisitions. Generally, large companies planning a merger or acquisition of another firm first must notify both the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, and provide the two agencies with information (which must be kept confidential) that enables them to assess the likely competitive impacts. The agencies usually have 30 days to make this assessment. During this period, USDA (which has no authority to approve mergers) might be asked, or decide on its own, to contribute information if the proposed merger affects agriculture.
Harvested acres — The cropland actually harvested for a particular crop, usually somewhat smaller at the national level than planted acres due to abandonment caused by weather damage or low market prices, or for livestock grazing.
Hatch Act of 1887 — The permanent statute (24 Stat. 440) authorizing federal funds to state agricultural experiment stations affiliated with the land grant colleges of agriculture. Congress amended the act in 1955 to add a formula that uses rural and farm population factors to allocate the annual appropriation among the states. Under the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 7212), states will continue to be required to provide at least 100% matching funds (traditionally, most states have provided more). On average, Hatch Act formula funds constitute 10% of total funding for each experiment station. (7 U.S.C. 361a et seq.).
Haulage rights — Rights obtained by one railroad to have its cars or trains operated by another railroad over that railroads's tracks, using the other's crews and usually its locomotives.
Haying and grazing rules — In response to natural disaster conditions (usually a drought) CRP land can be used for haying and grazing, but only after the Secretary approves it for the entire county. CRP participants who then choose to hay or graze receive reduced financial payments, reflecting the decreased environmental benefits being provided on enrolled lands. See Emergency livestock feed programs.
Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) — A production quality control system intended to minimize the entry of pathogens into the food supply. Under a HACCP system, food manufacturers identify the points in processing where contamination could occur (hazard analysis), and establish critical control points where control steps are implemented. Plant employees are responsible for monitoring the control steps and taking corrective actions when necessary. Record keeping and verification are used to ensure that the system is working. USDA's meat and poultry regulatory agency, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), implemented HACCP (to complement the agency's traditional organoleptic inspections) as one of the major elements of new inspection regulations that became fully effective in January 2000. FSIS inspectors are responsible for checking plants' records to assure that the HACCP system is working effectively. Under separate rules that became effective in December 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires seafood processors and importers also to implement the HACCP system. www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/haccp.htmland www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Hazard_Analysis_&_Pathogen_Reduction/index.asp.
HAZMAT — Hazardous materials.
HCP — Habitat conservation plan.
Head month — A month's use and occupancy of rangeland by a single animal or equivalent. A full head month's fee is charged for each month of grazing by adult animals if the grazing animal (1) is weaned, (2) is 6 months old or older when entering National Forest System land, or (3) will become 12 months old during the period of use. For fee purposes, a head month is equivalent to one animal unit month.
Headage payments — The EU Common Agricultural Policy provides for subsidies to be paid to producers based on the number of head of a specific type of livestock. Such payments may be contingent upon participation in a supply control program (e.g., limiting the number of livestock on a farm).
Headwaters — The source, or upper part, of a stream or watershed. Often used in discussing water rights related to wilderness or other federal land designations.
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 — P.L. 108-148 provides an expedited planning and review process for fuel reduction treatments on federal lands, with priority for protecting communities in the wildland-urban interface. Also, the law authorizes: woody biomass research and development, and grants for woody biomass use; watershed forestry assistance; insect and disease surveys and treatments; payments for private forest reserves; and forest surveys and monitoring. www.healthyforests.gov/initiative/legislation.html.
Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994 — P.L. 103-448 reauthorized several expiring programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (P.L. 79-396, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and Child Nutrition Amendments of 1966 (P.L. 89-642) through FY1998. Required that federally subsidized meal programs conform their meal requirements to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, permanently authorized the nutrition education and training (NET) program and made it an entitlement, and expanded the outreach and coordination of WIC. Subsequently, P.L. 104-193 restored NET to discretionary status and to a multi-year authorization rather than a permanent authorization. This law was superceded by William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-336).
Hectare (ha) — A metric measure of area equal to 10,000 square meters. One hectare = 2.47 acres. One acre = 0.405 hectares. See Acre.
Hedging — Taking a position in a futures market opposite to a position held in the cash market to minimize the risk of financial loss from an adverse price change; a purchase or sale of a futures contract as a temporary substitute for a cash transaction that will occur later (i.e., long hedge and short hedge). Hedgers use the futures markets to protect their business from adverse price changes. This contrasts with speculative buyers and sellers in the futures market who may be on the other end of a hedgers contract.
HEL — Highly-erodible land.
Herbicide-tolerant crops — Crops developed to survive certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the targeted weeds. The most common herbicide-tolerant crops (cotton, corn, soybeans, and canola) are Roundup Ready (RR) crops resistant to glyphosate, a herbicide effective on many species of grasses, broadleaf weeds, and sedges. Other genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops include Liberty Link (LL) corn resistant to glufosinate, and BXN cotton resistant to bromoxynil.
Herbicide — Any pesticide used to destroy or inhibit plant growth; a weed killer.
HFCS — High-fructose corn syrup.
HFI — Healthy Forests Initiative. www.fs.fed.us/projects/hfi.
HHS — Department of Health and Human Services. www.hhs.gov.
High moisture feed grains — Corn and grain sorghum must have moisture content below Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) standards in order to qualify for marketing assistance loans. Higher moisture feed grains do not serve as suitable collateral for nonrecourse loans. However, the 1996 farm bill (P.L. 104-127)first made, and the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 101-171, Sec. 1209) continued, the policy of making recourse loans available to producers of high moisture corn and grain sorghum.
High value products (HVP) — Consumer-oriented agricultural products that are high in value, often but not necessarily due to processing. HVPs can be divided into three groups: 1) semi-processed products, such as fresh and frozen meats, flour, vegetable oils, roasted coffee, refined sugar; 2) highly processed products that are ready for the consumer, such as milk, cheese, wine, breakfast cereals; and 3) high-value unprocessed products that are also often consumer-ready, such as fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, eggs, and nuts. In recent years HVPs have accounted for a greater percentage than bulk commodities of the total value of U.S. agricultural exports.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — HFCS is a natural sweetener created by converting glucose in corn starch to fructose . HFCS production expanded during the 1980s as a substitute for higher-cost beet and cane sugar used in soft drinks. HFCS-55 (55% fructose), which is as sweet as sugar, has almost completely replaced liquid sugar in beverages. HFCS-42 (42% fructose) is roughly 90% as sweet as sugar, and is mainly used in cereal, baking, dairy, and processed foods. HFCS and two other corn-derived sweeteners (glucose syrup and dextrose) accounted for 55% of total U.S. natural (caloric) sweetener use in recent years compared to less than one-third in 1980.
Highly erodible land (HEL) — Land that is very susceptible to erosion, including fields that have at least 1/3 or 50 acres of soils with a natural erosion potential of at least 8 times their T value. About 104 million acres of cropland meet this definition of HEL, according to the 1997 National Resources Inventory. Farms cropping highly erodible land and under production flexibility contracts must be in compliance with a conservation plan that protects this cropland.
Historic peanut producers — Those producers who were actively involved in planting and harvesting peanuts in the 1998-2001 period. Under the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 1301-1310), only these historic producers are eligible to receive fixed direct payments and counter-cyclical payments under the new peanut program, irrespective of whether or not they continue to produce peanuts. Payments made to these producers are based on past production on historical acreage.
HNI — Human Nutrition Institute. www.hni.ilsi.org.
Hog cholera (swine fever) — A highly contagious viral disease of swine that was eradicated from the U.S. in 1978. The acute form causes death within 5 to 14 days. The mild form is characterized by short periods of illness followed by periods of recovery, but animals die after about 3 months. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for preventing the disease from reappearing in the U.S.
Hog/corn ratio (corn-hog ratio) — Number of bushels of corn equal in value to 100 pounds of live hogs (feed ratio). Put another way, the price of hogs, per hundredweight, divided by the price of corn per bushel. Since corn is a major input cost to hog producers, the higher the price of hogs relative to corn, the more profit there is in feeding hogs.
Holding pond — A pond or reservoir, usually made of earth, built to store wastewater or polluted runoff.
Homeland Security Act of 2002 — This law (P.L. 107-296) created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In doing so, it transferred approximately 2,680 agriculture border inspectors from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Bureau of Customs and Border Inspection (CBP). USDA, however, retains a significant presence in border inspection because of its scientific expertise. APHIS continues to set agricultural inspection policies, pre-clear certain commodities, and inspect passengers and cargo entering the mainland from Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The Act also transferred the land and buildings of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York to DHS.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7) — This directive added agriculture to the list of industries for critical infrastructure protection in December 2003. HSPD-7 replaces the 1998 Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD-63) that omitted agriculture and food. These directives designate the physical systems that are vulnerable to terrorist attack and are essential for the minimal operation of the economy and the government. Federal agencies are to develop plans to prepare for and counter the threat. In terms of combating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), agriculture was included in the National Security Council's WMD preparedness group formed by Presidential Decision Directive 62 (PDD-62) in 1998. Agroterrorism preparedness is more directly addressed by HSPD-9. www.nimsonline.com/presidential_directives/hspd_9.htm.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 (HSPD-9) — This directive, Defense of United States Agriculture and Food (January 30, 2004), establishes a national policy to protect against terrorist attacks on agriculture and food systems. It directs federal departments and agencies to coordinate their efforts, assess vulnerabilities, prepare response plans, create public awareness, and conduct necessary research. HSPD-9 builds upon HSPD-7, which added agriculture to the list of industries for critical infrastructure protection. HSPD-5 (regarding the national response plan) and HSPD-8 (regarding preparedness) are being used by the USDA Homeland Security Staff in implementing HSPD-9.
Homestead Act — This federal law, adopted in 1862, essentially provided that heads of families or persons 21 years old, who were U.S. citizens or had filed for citizenship, could obtain up to 160 acres of unappropriated public land. Five years' residence on and cultivation of the land were required in order for the individual to receive title to the land. The land was free, except for small transaction fees. The Act was repealed generally by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-579); it remained in effect in Alaska until 1986. Approximately 287,000,000 acres were provided to homesteaders during the life of the act.
Homestead protection — When a USDA farm loan borrower lacks the financial resources to make payments on a delinquent loan, is ineligible for a restructured loan, and is unable to buy out the loan at the net recovery value of the collateral property, the borrower can convey the property to USDA in lieu of loan payments. The 1996 farm bill (P.L. 104-127) reduces the time period in which the borrower may apply to lease and/or purchase the residence and up to 10 acres of adjoining land, to within 30 days from acquisition by USDA.
Honey program — Non-recourse marketing loans had long been available to support honey prices until FY1994, when the funding was suspended by provisions in annual appropriations legislation. The 1990 farm bill (P.L. 101-624) had set honey loan rates at $0.538 per pound and permitted deficiency payments. The 1996 farm bill (P.L. 104-127) repealed the statutory authority for the honey program. A Honey Recourse Loan Program was made available for the 1998 crop only through broader emergency spending authority in the FY1999 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 105-277). The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Sec. 1201) made honey eligible for marketing assistance loans (and loan deficiency payments, LDPs) from 2002 through 2007.
Honey Recourse Loan Program — A program authorized by the emergency provisions of the FY1999 USDA appropriations act (P.L. 105-277) that made recourse loans based on a national average rate of $0.56 per pound on 1998-crop honey. Final date to obtain a loan was May 7, 1999. The producer-owned honey was required to be merchantable and stored in acceptable containers. Loans carried an administrative fee of $0.009 per pound, bore an interest rate 1% higher than the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) borrowing interest rate, and matured not later than 9 months following disbursement.
Horse Protection Act of 1970 — P.L. 91-540, as amended (15 U.S.C. 1821 et seq.), makes it a crime to exhibit, or transport for the purpose of exhibiting, any sored horse (one whose feet have been injured deliberately to accentuate the animal's gait). The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) enforces the law, which covers all breeds, although Tennessee Walking Horses are the most frequent victims of this procedure.
Horticultural specialty crops — The Census of Agriculture includes as horticultural specialties bedding plants, florists' greens, flower and vegetable seeds, flowers, foliage, fruit stocks, nursery and ornamental plants, shrubbery, sod, mushrooms, and vegetables grown under cover (e.g., in greenhouses).
Household — A household is the basic recipient unit for food assistance programs. In most cases, it consists of those living together, without regard to their economic or family relationship.
Housing Act of 1949 — Title V of P.L. 81-171 authorized USDA to make loans to farmers to construct, improve, repair, or replace dwellings and other farm buildings to provide decent, safe, and sanitary living conditions for themselves, their tenants, lessees, sharecroppers, and laborers. The USDA was authorized to make grants or combinations of loans and grants to farmers who could not qualify to repay the full amount of a loan, but who needed the funds to make the dwellings sanitary or to remove health hazards to the occupants or the community. Over time, the Act has been amended to authorize housing loans and grants to rural residents in general and these are administered by the Rural Housing Service (RHS). The rural housing programs are generally referred to by the authorizing section number in the Housing Act of 1949, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.). See Section 502 loans, Section 504 loans and grants, Section 514 loans, Section 515 loans, Section 516 grants, Section 521 rental assistance, Section 523 loans, Section 524 loans, Section 533 grants.
HSI — Habitat suitability index.
HSUS — Humane Society of the United States. www.hsus.org.
HTS, HTSUS — Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. www.usitc.gov/taffairs.htm.
Humane Methods of Slaughter Act — The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) enforces this Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (P.L. 85-765; 7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) under a provision in the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603(b), 610(b), 620(a)). The law requires that cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep, and swine be rendered entirely insensible to pain before slaughter. This is accomplished with powerful stun guns (see Stunning). Poultry currently is not subject to humane slaughter requirements. FSIS inspectors at slaughtering plants are responsible for overseeing compliance, and have the authority to stop slaughter lines and order plant employees to take corrective actions. Following news reports in early 2002 alleging significant non-compliance, FSIS assigned additional veterinarians to its district offices specifically to monitor humane slaughter and handling procedures and to report to headquarters on compliance. The 2002 farm bill requests an annual compliance report to Congress, and in the FY2003 agricultural appropriations act, Congress designated $5 million of FSIS funding for hiring 50 additional compliance inspectors. Language in the FY2004 consolidated appropriations act directs FSIS to continue fulfilling that mandate, and the FY2005 budget request calls for another $5 million to be allocated for enforcement activities. A January 2004 GAO report states that compliance problems persist (GAO-04-247). Earlier concerns about humane treatment of non-ambulatory (downer) cattle at slaughter houses became irrelevant when FSIS issued regulations in January 2004 (69 FR 1892) prohibiting them from being slaughtered and inspected for use as human food.
Hundredweight — One hundred pounds (abbreviated as cwt.). A standard unit of measure for milk, rice, and some meat livestock.
Hunger — See Food security.
Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 — P.L. 100-435 amended the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-8) to require the USDA to make additional types of commodities available for the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), to improve the child nutrition and food stamp programs, and to provide other hunger relief.
HVP — High value products.
Hybrid — Plants with desirable attributes that have been developed by fertilizing one variety of the plant with pollen from another that also has desirable traits. Corn and horticultural plants are the most commonly hybridized crops in the United States. Hybrids provide a form of patent protection to the seed company that produces them because second generation plants grown from first generation seeds do not produce a second crop that uniformly has all the same attributes as the first generation.
Hydric soil — Soil that, in its undrained state, is flooded long enough during a growing season to develop anaerobic conditions that support the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation (plants specialized to grow in water or in soil too waterlogged for most plants to survive). This term is part of the legal definition of a wetland included in the Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198). The Natural Resources Conservation Service maintains the official list of hydric soils.
Hydrogen — The lightest and most abundant element. It is usually produced from the reformation of methane (natural gas), although it can be produced as a renewable fuel using solar energy to electrolyze water. Hydrogen fuel is seen as an ultimate replacement for petroleum-based transportation fuels, especially in fuel cell vehicles. A fuel cell running on pure hydrogen produces electricity, heat, and water exclusively; pollutant emissions from hydrogen fuel cells are zero. Currently, there are very few hydrogen vehicles, and most of these are test prototypes.
Hydroponics — The growing of plants without soil by using an inert medium such as sand, peat, or vermiculite and adding a nutrient solution containing all the essential elements needed by the plant for its normal growth and development. Water culture, when plant roots are suspended in a liquid medium containing the nutrient solution while their crowns are supported in a thin layer of inert medium, is true hydroponics. Often called soilless culture, it also includes aeroponics where plant roots are suspended in a dark chamber and sprayed with the nutrient solution.
Hypoxia — A low oxygen condition in the water that may occur where a nutrient-laden free-flowing body of water (like a river) enters a lake or ocean. The high nutrient content promotes rapid growth of plankton/phytoplankton that subsequently die and, in the process of decomposition, consume large amounts of oxygen (see Biochemical oxygen demand). While fish and shrimp can migrate away from a hypoxic area, less mobile bottom-dwelling organisms are unable to escape. These areas expand and contract with the seasons; they are largest in the summer after maximum spring runoff when the water is warmest and conditions are calm. The size of these areas also varies greatly from year to year because of changing physical conditions. Hypoxia can be found in many water bodies, such as the deep portions of the Chesapeake Bay in the summer, but the best-known instance is an area in the Gulf of Mexico called the dead zone.
HPGS — National Plant Germplasm System. www.ars-grin.gov/npgs.