Non-Recourse Marketing Assistance Loan Programs

The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) authorizes nonrecourse marketing assistance loans (MALs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) for the 2014 through 2018 crop years for wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, extra-long staple cotton, long grain rice, medium grain rice, soybeans, other oilseeds (including sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe and sesame seed), dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, large chickpeas, graded and nongraded wool, mohair, unshorn pelts, honey and peanuts.

MALs and LDPs are marketing tools available to producers beginning upon harvest or shearing. The MAL provides an influx of cash when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows, which allows the producer to delay the sale of the commodity until more favorable market conditions emerge. Allowing producers to store production at harvest or shearing provides for a more orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year.

MALs for commodities are considered nonrecourse when the MAL can either be redeemed by the repayment of the MAL or by delivering the pledged collateral to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) as full payment for the MAL at maturity. MAL repayment provisions specify, under certain circumstances, that producers may repay MALs at less than loan rate (principal) plus accrued interest and other charges. Alternatively, loan deficiency payment (LDP) provisions specify that, in lieu of securing a MAL, producers may elect to receive an LDP.

MAL repayment and LDP provisions are intended to minimize potential delivery of loan collateral to CCC, accumulation of CCC-owned stocks, storage costs, discrepancies in marketing loan benefits across State and county boundaries, and allow U.S. produced-commodities to be marketed freely and competitively. Accumulating CCC-owned stocks tends to make U.S.-produced commodities less competitive in world markets and can result in substantial storage costs to taxpayers.