1412.45—Reducing or terminating base acreage.

(a) (1) Subject to the limitation in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a permanent reduction of all or a portion of a farm's base acreage will be allowed when all owners of the farm execute and submit a written request for such reduction on a CCC-approved standard, uniform form designated by CCC to the FSA county office where the records for the farm are administratively maintained.
(2) A permanent reduction of all or a portion of a farm's base acres to negate or reduce a program violation is not allowed.
(b) When base acres on a farm are converted to a non-agricultural commercial or industrial use, the total base acres on the farm will be reduced accordingly regardless of the submission of a request for such reduction.
(c) The base acres of covered commodities and peanuts on a farm will be proportionately reduced when it is determined that the land has been subdivided and developed for multiple residential units or other nonfarming uses if, in the judgment of the county committee, the size of the tracts and the density of the subdivision is such that the land is unlikely to return to the previous agricultural use, unless either of the following applies:
(1) The producers on the farm demonstrate that the land remains devoted to commercial agricultural production or is likely to be returned to the previous agricultural use and such land has not been divided from the farm with a farm reconstitution performed according to part 718 of this title or
(2) A properly constituted or reconstituted farm contains sufficient land that has not yet been subdivided and developed for multiple residential units or other nonfarming uses, and the producers on the farm demonstrate that the land remains devoted to commercial agricultural production or is likely to be returned to the previous agricultural use.

Code of Federal Regulations

[73 FR 79289, Dec. 29, 2008, as amended at 75 FR 19191, Apr. 14, 2010]