§ 1991. Definitions
(a)
As used in this chapter:
(1)
The term “farmer” includes a person who is engaged in, or who, with assistance afforded under this chapter, intends to engage in, fish farming.
(3)
The term “owner-operator” shall include in the State of Hawaii the lessee-operator of real property in any case in which the Secretary determines that such real property cannot be acquired in fee simple by such lessee-operator, that adequate security is provided for the loan with respect to such real property for which such lessee-operator applies under this chapter, and that there is a reasonable probability of accomplishing the objectives and repayment of such loan.
(4)
The word “insure” as used in this chapter includes guarantee, which means to guarantee the payment of a loan originated, held, and serviced by a private financial agency or other lender approved by the Secretary.
(6)
The terms “United States” and “State” shall include each of the several States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and, to the extent the Secretary determines it to be feasible and appropriate, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
(7)
The term “joint operation” means a joint farming operation in which two or more farmers work together sharing equally or unequally land, labor, equipment, expenses, and income.
(9)
The term “direct loan” means a loan made or insured from funds in the account created by section
1929 of this title.
(10)
The term “farmer program loan” means a farm ownership loan (FO) under section
1923 of this title, operating loan (OL) under section
1942 of this title, soil and water loan (SW) under section
1924 of this title, emergency loan (EM) under section
1961 of this title, economic emergency loan (EE) under section 202 of the Emergency Agricultural Credit Adjustment Act (title II of Public Law 95-334), economic opportunity loan (EO) under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1961 (42 U.S.C. 2942), softwood timber loan (ST) under section 1254 of the Food Security Act of 1985, or rural housing loan for farm service buildings (RHF) under section
1472 of title
42.
(11)
The term “qualified beginning farmer or rancher” means an applicant, regardless of whether the applicant is participating in a program under section
1935 of this title—
(B)
who has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years;
(C)
in the case of a cooperative, corporation, partnership, or joint operation, who has members, stockholders, partners, or joint operators who are all related to one another by blood or marriage;
(D)
(i)
in the case of an owner and operator of a farm or ranch, who—
(I)
in the case of a loan made to an individual, individually or with the immediate family of the applicant—
(ii)
in the case of an applicant seeking to own and operate a farm or ranch, who—
(I)
in the case of a loan made to an individual, individually or with the immediate family of the applicant, will—
(E)
who agrees to participate in such loan assessment, borrower training, and financial management programs as the Secretary may require;
(F)
who does not own land or who, directly or through interests in family farm corporations, owns land, the aggregate acreage of which does not exceed 30 percent of the median acreage of the farms or ranches, as the case may be, in the county in which the farm or ranch operations of the applicant are located, as reported in the most recent census of agriculture, except that this subparagraph shall not apply to a loan made or guaranteed under subchapter II of this chapter; and
(12)
Debt forgiveness.—
(A)
In general.—
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “debt forgiveness” means reducing or terminating a farmer program loan made or guaranteed under this chapter, in a manner that results in a loss to the Secretary, through—
(ii)
compromising, adjusting, reducing, or charging-off a debt or claim under section
1981 of this title;
(13)
Rural and rural area.—
(A)
In general.—
Subject to subparagraphs (B) through (G), the terms “rural” and “rural area” mean any area other than—
(B)
Water and waste disposal grants and direct and guaranteed loans.—
For the purpose of water and waste disposal grants and direct and guaranteed loans provided under paragraphs (1), (2), and (24) of section
1926
(a) of this title, the terms “rural” and “rural area” mean a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of no more than 10,000 inhabitants.
(C)
Community facility loans and grants.—
For the purpose of community facility direct and guaranteed loans and grants under paragraphs (1), (19), (20), (21), and (24) of section
1926
(a) of this title, the terms “rural” and “rural area” mean any area other than a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants.
(D)
Areas rural in character.—
(i)
Application.—
This subparagraph applies to—
(ii)
Determination.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, on the petition of a unit of local government in an area described in clause (i) or on the initiative of the Under Secretary for Rural Development, the Under Secretary may determine that a part of an area described in clause (i) is a rural area for the purposes of this paragraph, if the Under Secretary finds that the part is rural in character, as determined by the Under Secretary.
(iii)
Administration.—
In carrying out this subparagraph, the Under Secretary for Rural Development shall—
(II)
consult with the applicable rural development State or regional director of the Department of Agriculture and the governor of the respective State;
(III)
provide to the petitioner an opportunity to appeal to the Under Secretary a determination made under this subparagraph;
(IV)
release to the public notice of a petition filed or initiative of the Under Secretary under this subparagraph not later than 30 days after receipt of the petition or the commencement of the initiative, as appropriate;
(V)
make a determination under this subparagraph not less than 15 days, and not more than 60 days, after the release of the notice under subclause (IV);
(E)
Exclusions.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, in determining which census blocks in an urbanized area are not in a rural area (as defined in this paragraph), the Secretary shall exclude any cluster of census blocks that would otherwise be considered not in a rural area only because the cluster is adjacent to not more than 2 census blocks that are otherwise considered not in a rural area under this paragraph.
(F)
Urban area growth.—
(i)
Application.—
This subparagraph applies to—
(G)
Hawaii and puerto rico.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, within the areas of the County of Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Secretary may designate any part of the areas as a rural area if the Secretary determines that the part is not urban in character, other than any area included in the Honolulu Census Designated Place or the San Juan Census Designated Place.
(b)
As used in sections
1927
(e),
1981d,
1985
(e) and (f),
1988
(b),
2000
(b) and (c),
2001, and
2005 of this title:
(1)
The term “borrower” means any farm borrower who has outstanding obligations to the Secretary under any farmer program loan, without regard to whether the loan has been accelerated, but does not include any farm borrower all of whose loans and accounts have been foreclosed on or liquidated, voluntarily or otherwise.
(2)
The term “loan service program” means, with respect to a farmer program borrower, a primary loan service program or a preservation loan service program.
(3)
The term “primary loan service program” means—
(4)
Preservation loan service program.—
The term “preservation loan service program” means homestead retention as authorized under section
2000 of this title.