(a) An actual yield is the total amount of harvested and appraised production from unit acreage for the crop year on a per-acre, or other basis, as applicable.

(b) A T-yield (county expected yield):

(1) Is the Olympic average (disregarding the high and low yields) of historical yields of the crop in the county for the five consecutive crop years immediately preceding the previous crop year. For example, for the 2015 crop year, the five consecutive crop years immediately preceding the previous crop year would be 2009 through 2013.

(2) Will be the same as the FCIC transitional yield if crop insurance is available for the crop, (but not necessarily for the cause of loss if excluded by policy provisions), in the administrative county.

(3) Will be calculated so as to be comparable to the FCIC transitional yield most reasonable to the area if crop insurance was available for the crop (but not necessarily for the cause of loss) in contiguous counties, but not in the immediate county.

(4) Will be based on the most representative available historical information, as determined by FSA, from such sources as, but not limited to, actual acreage and production data of participating producers in the county; or in similar areas; National Agricultural Statistics Service data; National Institute of Food and Agriculture records, Federal Crop Insurance data, and credible non-government studies. Such data is based on the acreage intended for harvest.

(5) May be adjusted on an administrative county-wide basis for:

(i) Yield variations due to different farming practices in the administrative county such as irrigated and non-irrigated; and

(ii) Cultural practices when such practices in the administrative county are different from those used on acreage to establish the yield.

(6) Will be adjusted on a State-wide basis, for crops grown on certified organic and transitional acreage for which FSA has established a separate organic price as specified in §1437.12(b), based on an average of FCIC organic yield reductions, as determined by FSA, for the same crop in the same State.

(7) May be adjusted on a county-wide or regional basis for crops grown on certified organic and transitional acreage for which FSA has established a separate organic price as specified in §1437.12(b), based on the most representative available historical information, as determined by FSA.

(8) Will, for all land for those producers who have land physically located in multiple counties and administered in one county office, be based on the administrative county's expected yield for the crop.

(9) May be reduced, on a specific APH basis, when, as determined by FSA, it does not accurately reflect the productive capability of specific crop acreage.

(10) Will be used in the actual production history base period when less than four consecutive crop years of actual, assigned, or zero-credited yields, as applicable, are available.

(c) An assigned yield is:

(1) Equal to 75 percent of the approved yield calculated for the most recent crop year for which the producer did not certify a report of production in a crop year that is not a bypass year.

(2) Used, after the first crop year an approved yield for the crop is calculated, in the actual production history base period when the producer reports acreage for the crop but fails to certify a report of production in a crop year that is not a bypass year. Producers may have only one assigned yield in the actual production history base period.

(3) May be replaced with an actual yield when the producers provide a certification of production and acceptable production records for the applicable crop year in accordance with §1437.8.

(4) May not be used if the acreage of a crop in the administrative county in which the unit is located for the crop year increases by more than 100 percent over any year in the preceding seven crop years, or significantly from the previous crop years, as determined by FSA, unless producers provide:

(i) Detailed documentation of production costs, acres planted, and yield for the crop year for which the producer is requesting assistance, or

(ii) If FSA determines the documentation is inadequate, proof that the eligible crop, had it been harvested, could have been marketed at a reasonable price.

(5) May be used, notwithstanding paragraph (c)(4) of this section, if:

(i) The planted acreage for the crop has been inspected by a third party acceptable to FSA, or

(ii) The FSA county executive director, with the concurrence of the FSA state executive director, makes a recommendation for an exemption from the requirements and FSA approves such recommendation.

(d) A zero-credited yield:

(1) Will be used in the applicable crop year of the actual production history base period for each crop year following the crop year containing an assigned yield, for which producers do not certify a report of acreage or production in a crop year that is not a bypass year, as determined by CCC.

(2) May be replaced with an actual yield when the producer provides a certification of production and acceptable production records for the applicable crop year in accordance with §1437.8.

(e) An approved yield:

(1) Is used in the calculation of the requisite loss and payment.

(2) Is a simple average of a minimum of four base period crop year yields, i.e., actual yield, T-yield, assigned yield, or zero-credited yield. The base period is 10 crop years, except 5 crop years for apples and peaches, immediately preceding the crop year for which an approved yield is calculated, not including any crop year the crop was out of rotation, not planted, or prevented from being planted.

(3) Will be calculated according to the following criteria when the producer does not have at least four consecutive crop years of actual, assigned, or zero credited yields beginning with the most recent crop year.

(i) If there are no certified acceptable production records of actual production for the most recent crop year, or zero credited or assigned yields in the producer's APH base period, and no formula provided for the producer under paragraphs (e)(3)(ii) through (iv) of this section, then the approved yield for the current crop year will be calculated on the simple average of 65 percent of the applicable T-yield for each of the minimum four APH crop years.

(ii) If certified acceptable production records of actual production are available for only the most recent crop year and there are no zero credited or assigned yields in the producer's APH base period, the approved yield for the current crop year will be calculated on the simple average of the one actual yield plus 80 percent of the applicable T-yield for the remaining three of the minimum four APH crop years.

(iii) If certified acceptable production records of actual production are available for only the two most recent crop years and there are no zero credited or assigned yields in the producer's APH base period, the approved yield for the current crop year will be calculated on the simple average of the two actual yields plus 90 percent of the applicable T-yield for the remaining two of the minimum four APH crop years.

(iv) If certified acceptable production records of actual production are available for only the three most recent crop years and there are no zero credited or assigned yields in the producer's APH base period, the approved yield for the current crop year will be calculated on the simple average of the three actual yields plus 100 percent of the applicable T-yield for the remaining crop year of the minimum four APH crop years.

(f) If, for one or more actual production history crop years used to establish the approved yield, the actual or appraised yield is less than 65 percent of the current crop year T-yield due to losses incurred in a disaster year, as determined by FSA, producers may request FSA replace the applicable yield with a yield equal to 65 percent of the current crop year T-yield.

(g) If approved yields were calculated for any of the 1995 through 2014 crop years, and subsequently in that period production was not certified, producers may request FSA replace the missing yields for such years with yields equal to the higher of 65 percent of the current crop year T-yield or the missing crop years actual yield.

(h) If producers add land in the farming operation and do not have available production records for the added land FSA will calculate an approved yield for the new unit by utilizing the actual production history yields for the existing unit. In the event the crop suffers a loss greater than the unit guarantee for the crop year and unit acreage has increased by more than 75 percent of the historical average acreage, FSA may adjust the approved yield, as determined by FSA.

(i) If a producer is a new producer, the approved yield may be based on unadjusted T-Yields or a combination of actual yields and unadjusted T-Yields. A new producer is a person who has not been actively engaged in farming for a share of the production of the eligible crop in the administrative county for more than two APH crop years. Formation or dissolution of an entity which includes individuals with more than two APH crop years of production history during the base period does not qualify the new entity as a new producer for APH determination purposes.

(j) A producer who has not shared in the risk of the production of the crop for more than two crop years during the base period, as determined by FSA, will have an approved yield calculated based on a combination of 100 percent of the applicable T-yield and any actual yield for the minimum crop years of the producer's APH base period. Producers who have produced the crop for one or more crop years must provide FSA, at the administrative county office serving the area in which the crop is located, a certification of production and production records for the applicable crop years as specified in §1437.8.

(k) Further adjustments may be made as necessary to accomplish the purposes of this program.

[67 FR 12448, Mar. 19, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 13744, Mar. 17, 2006; 76 FR 4805, Jan. 27, 2011; 79 FR 74579, 74583, Dec. 15, 2014]