The following is excerpted from "The Relationship Between Cropping Patterns
and Insecticde use in Cotton Production" (Shields and Daberkow, ERS, 1993).
"Several recent US policies encourage more crop rotation. A major provision
of the 1990 farm legislation makes 15 percent of a farm's base acreage
ineligible for deficiency payments and allows other crops to be planted on it.
Beginning in 1991, farmers could plant an additional 10 percent of their
crop acreage base to other specific crops without losing any base...
The Integrated Farm Management Program Option (IFM), established in the 1990
Farm Act, offers additonal flexibility. Under IFM, farmers are encouraged to
adopt soil and water conserving crops while protecting their government
payments. The Water Quality Incentive Program is another USDA program
which encourages farmers to change cropping sequences when the potential
for ground or surface water contamination will be reduced."