B-231065: Aug 10, 1988

The draining of filling of wet spots which were only farmed naturally before the Act. May cause the loss of farm benefits since this was "wetland and not "converted wetland" prior to the Act. 2. Is at most guidance and is not binding on the Secretary of Agriculture. Since it did not appear in the law nor was it incorporated by reference into the law. Honorable Kent Conrad United States Senate: Thi...

B-231065: Published: Aug 10, 1988. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 1988.

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) interpretation of the Food Security Act's wetlands provision. GAO noted that: (1) under the act, the draining or filling of wetlands and converted wetlands, which were cultivated naturally before the act's passage, could cause program participants to lose federal farm benefits; and (2) a congressional comm...