(c) Research and development authority (1) Authority The Corporation may conduct activities or enter into contracts to carry out research and development to maintain or improve existing policies or develop new policies to— (A) increase participation in States in which the Corporation determines that— (i) there is traditionally, and continues to be, a low level of Federal crop insurance participation and availability; and (ii) the State is underserved by the Federal crop insurance program; (B) increase participation in areas that are underserved by the Federal crop insurance program; and (C) increase participation by producers of underserved agricultural commodities, including specialty crops. (2) Underserved agricultural commodities and areas (A) Authority The Corporation may conduct research and development or enter into contracts under procedures prescribed by the Corporation with qualified persons to carry out research and development for policies that promote the purposes of paragraph (1). (B) Consultation Before conducting research and development or entering into a contract under subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall consult with groups representing producers of agricultural commodities that would be served by the policies that are the subject of the research and development. (3) Qualified persons A person with experience in crop insurance or farm or ranch risk management (including a college or university, an approved insurance provider, and a trade or research organization), as determined by the Corporation, shall be eligible to enter into a contract with the Corporation under this subsection. (4) Types of contracts A contract under this subsection may provide for research and development regarding new or expanded policies, including policies based on adjusted gross income, cost-of-production, quality losses, and an intermediate base program with a higher coverage and cost than catastrophic risk protection. (5) Use of resulting policies The Corporation may offer any policy developed under this subsection that is approved by the Board after expert review in accordance with section 1505(e) of this title . (6) Research and development priorities The Corporation shall establish as one of the highest research and development priorities of the Corporation the development of policies that increase participation by producers of underserved agricultural commodities, including sweet sorghum, biomass sorghum, rice, peanuts, sugarcane, alfalfa, pennycress, dedicated energy crops, and specialty crops. (7) Study of multiyear coverage (A) In general The Corporation shall contract with a qualified person to conduct a study to determine whether offering policies that provide coverage for multiple years would reduce fraud, waste, and abuse by persons that participate in the Federal crop insurance program. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after June 20, 2000, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (8) Contract for revenue coverage plans The Corporation shall enter into a contract for research and development regarding one or more revenue coverage plans that are designed to enable producers to take maximum advantage of fluctuations in market prices and thereby maximize revenue realized from the sale of an agricultural commodity. A revenue coverage plan may include the use of existing market instruments or the development of new market instruments. Not later than 15 months after June 20, 2000, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the contract entered into under this paragraph. (9) Contract for cost of production policy (A) Authority The Corporation shall enter into a contract for research and development regarding a cost of production policy. (B) Research and development The research and development shall— (i) take into consideration the differences in the cost of production on a county-by-county basis; and (ii) cover as many commodities as is practicable. (10) Energy crop insurance policy (A) Definition of dedicated energy crop In this subsection, the term “dedicated energy crop” means an annual or perennial crop that— (i) is grown expressly for the purpose of producing a feedstock for renewable biofuel, renewable electricity, or biobased products; and (ii) is not typically used for food, feed, or fiber. (B) Authority The Corporation shall offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding a policy to insure dedicated energy crops. (C) Research and development Research and development described in subparagraph (B) shall evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for the production of dedicated energy crops, including policies and plans of insurance that— (i) are based on market prices and yields; (ii) to the extent that insufficient data exist to develop a policy based on market prices and yields, evaluate the policies and plans of insurance based on the use of weather or rainfall indices to protect the interests of crop producers; and (iii) provide protection for production or revenue losses, or both. (11) Aquaculture insurance policy (A) Definition of aquaculture In this subsection: (i) In general The term “aquaculture” means the propagation and rearing of aquatic species in controlled or selected environments, including shellfish cultivation on grants or leased bottom and ocean ranching. (ii) Exclusion The term “aquaculture” does not include the private ocean ranching of Pacific salmon for profit in any State in which private ocean ranching of Pacific salmon is prohibited by any law (including regulations). (B) Authority (i) In general As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, the Corporation shall offer to enter into 3 or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding a policy to insure the production of aquacultural species in aquaculture operations. (ii) Bivalve species At least 1 of the contracts described in clause (i) shall address insurance of bivalve species, including— (I) American oysters (crassostrea virginica); (II) hard clams (mercenaria mercenaria); (III) Pacific oysters (crassostrea gigas); (IV) Manila clams (tapes phillipinnarium); or (V) blue mussels (mytilus edulis). (iii) Freshwater species At least 1 of the contracts described in clause (i) shall address insurance of freshwater species, including— (I) catfish (icataluridae); (II) rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss); (III) largemouth bass (micropterus salmoides); (IV) striped bass (morone saxatilis); (V) bream (abramis brama); (VI) shrimp (penaeus); or (VII) tilapia (oreochromis niloticus). (iv) Saltwater species At least 1 of the contracts described in clause (i) shall address insurance of saltwater species, including— (I) Atlantic salmon (salmo salar); or (II) shrimp (penaeus). (C) Research and development Research and development described in subparagraph (B) shall evaluate the effectiveness of policies and plans of insurance for the production of aquacultural species in aquaculture operations, including policies and plans of insurance that— (i) are based on market prices and yields; (ii) to the extent that insufficient data exist to develop a policy based on market prices and yields, evaluate how best to incorporate insuring of production of aquacultural species in aquaculture operations into existing policies covering adjusted gross revenue; and (iii) provide protection for production or revenue losses, or both. (12) Poultry insurance policy (A) Definition of poultry In this paragraph, the term “poultry” has the meaning given the term in section 182 of this title . (B) Authority The Corporation shall offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding a policy to insure commercial poultry production. (C) Research and development Research and development described in subparagraph (B) shall evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for the production of poultry, including policies and plans of insurance that provide protection for production or revenue losses, or both, while the poultry is in production. (13) Apiary policies The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract with a qualified entity to carry out research and development regarding insurance policies that cover loss of bees. (14) Adjusted gross revenue policies for beginning producers The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract with a qualified entity to carry out research and development into needed modifications of adjusted gross revenue insurance policies, consistent with principles of actuarial sufficiency, to permit coverage for beginning producers with no previous production history, including permitting those producers to have production and premium rates based on information with similar farming operations. (15) Skiprow cropping practices (A) In general The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract with a qualified entity to carry out research into needed modifications of policies to insure corn and sorghum produced in the Central Great Plains (as determined by the Agricultural Research Service) through use of skiprow cropping practices. (B) Research Research described in subparagraph (A) shall— (i) review existing research on skiprow cropping practices and actual production history of producers using skiprow cropping practices; and (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for producers using skiprow cropping practices, including— (I) the appropriateness of rules in existence as of the date of enactment of this paragraph relating to the determination of acreage planted in skiprow patterns; and (II) whether policies for crops produced through skiprow cropping practices reflect actual production capabilities. (16) Margin coverage for catfish (A) In general The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract with a qualified entity to conduct research and development regarding a policy to insure producers against reduction in the margin between the market value of catfish and selected costs incurred in the production of catfish. (B) Eligibility Eligibility for the policy described in subparagraph (A) shall be limited to freshwater species of catfish that are propagated and reared in controlled or selected environments. (C) Implementation The Board shall review the policy described in subparagraph (B) under section 1508(h) of this title and approve the policy if the Board finds that the policy— (i) will likely result in a viable and marketable policy consistent with this subsection; (ii) would provide crop insurance coverage in a significantly improved form; (iii) adequately protects the interests of producers; and (iv) meets other requirements of this subchapter determined appropriate by the Board. (17) Biomass and sweet sorghum energy crop insurance policies (A) In general The Corporation shall offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding— (i) a policy to insure biomass sorghum that is grown expressly for the purpose of producing a feedstock for renewable biofuel, renewable electricity, or biobased products; and (ii) a policy to insure sweet sorghum that is grown for a purpose described in clause (i). (B) Research and development Research and development with respect to each of the policies required in subparagraph (A) shall evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for the production of biomass sorghum or sweet sorghum, including policies and plans of insurance that— (i) are based on market prices and yields; (ii) to the extent that insufficient data exist to develop a policy based on market prices and yields, evaluate the policies and plans of insurance based on the use of weather indices, including excessive or inadequate rainfall, to protect the interest of crop producers; and (iii) provide protection for production or revenue losses, or both. (18) Study on swine catastrophic disease program (A) In general The Corporation shall contract with 1 or more qualified entities to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of insuring swine producers for a catastrophic event. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (19) Whole farm diversified risk management insurance plan (A) In general Unless the Corporation approves a whole farm insurance plan, similar to the plan described in this paragraph, to be available to producers for the 2016 reinsurance year, the Corporation shall conduct activities or enter into contracts to carry out research and development to develop a whole farm risk management insurance plan, with a liability limitation of $1,500,000, that allows a diversified crop or livestock producer the option to qualify for an indemnity if actual gross farm revenue is below 85 percent of the average gross farm revenue or the expected gross farm revenue that can reasonably be expected of the producer, as determined by the Corporation. (B) Eligible producers The Corporation shall permit producers (including direct-to-consumer marketers and producers servicing local and regional and farm identity-preserved markets) who produce multiple agricultural commodities, including specialty crops, industrial crops, livestock, and aquaculture products, to participate in the plan developed under subparagraph (A) in lieu of any other plan under this subchapter. (C) Diversification The Corporation may provide diversification-based additional coverage payment rates, premium discounts, or other enhanced benefits in recognition of the risk management benefits of crop and livestock diversification strategies for producers that— (i) grow multiple crops; or (ii) may have income from the production of livestock that uses a crop grown on the farm. (D) Market readiness The Corporation may include coverage for the value of any packing, packaging, or any other similar on-farm activity the Corporation determines to be the minimum required in order to remove the commodity from the field. (20) Study on poultry catastrophic disease program (A) In general The Corporation shall contract with a qualified person to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of insuring poultry producers for a catastrophic event. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (21) Poultry business interruption insurance policy (A) Definitions In this paragraph, the terms “poultry” and “poultry grower” have the meanings given those terms in section 182 of this title . (B) Authority The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with an institution of higher education or other legal entity to carry out research and development regarding a policy to insure the commercial production of poultry against business interruptions caused by integrator bankruptcy. (C) Research and development As part of the research and development conducted pursuant to a contract or cooperative agreement entered into under subparagraph (B), the entity shall— (i) evaluate the market place for business interruption insurance that is available to poultry growers; (ii) determine what statutory authority would be necessary to implement a business interruption insurance through the Corporation; (iii) assess the feasibility of a policy or plan of insurance offered under this subchapter to insure against a portion of losses due to business interruption or to the bankruptcy of an business integrator; and (iv) analyze the costs to the Federal Government of a Federal business interruption insurance program for poultry growers or producers. (D) Deadline for contract or cooperative agreement Not later than 180 days after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall offer to enter into the contract or cooperative agreement required by subparagraph (B). (E) Deadline for completion of research and development Not later than 1 year after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the research and development conducted pursuant to the contract or cooperative agreement entered into under subparagraph (B).] (22) Study of food safety insurance (A) In general The Corporation shall offer to enter into a contract with 1 or more qualified entities to conduct a study to determine whether offering policies that provide coverage for specialty crops from food safety and contamination issues would benefit agricultural producers. (B) Subject The study described in subparagraph (A) shall evaluate policies and plans of insurance coverage that provide protection for production or revenue impacted by food safety concerns including, at a minimum, government, retail, or national consumer group announcements of a health advisory, removal, or recall related to a contamination concern. (C) Report Not later than 1 year after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (23) Alfalfa crop insurance policy (A) In general The Corporation shall offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding a policy to insure alfalfa. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after February 7, 2014, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A). (24) Relation to limitations A policy developed under this subsection may be prepared without regard to the limitations of this subchapter, including— (A) the requirement concerning the levels of coverage and rates; and (B) the requirement that the price level for each insured agricultural commodity must equal the expected market price for the agricultural commodity, as established by the Board.
(c) Research and development authority (1) Authority The Corporation may conduct activities or enter into contracts to carry out research and development to maintain or improve existing policies or develop new policies to— (A) increase participation in States in which the Corporation determines that— (i) there is traditionally, and continues to be, a low level of Federal crop insurance participation and availability; and (ii) the State is underserved by the Federal crop insurance program; (B) increase participation in areas that are underserved by the Federal crop insurance program; and (C) increase participation by producers of underserved agricultural commodities, including specialty crops. (2) Underserved agricultural commodities and areas (A) Authority The Corporation may conduct research and development or enter into contracts under procedures prescribed by the Corporation with qualified persons to carry out research and development for policies that promote the purposes of paragraph (1). (B) Consultation Before conducting research and development or entering into a contract under subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall consult with groups representing producers of agricultural commodities that would be served by the policies that are the subject of the research and development. (3) Qualified persons A person with experience in crop insurance or farm or ranch risk management (including a college or university, an approved insurance provider, and a trade or research organization), as determined by the Corporation, shall be eligible to enter into a contract with the Corporation under this subsection. (4) Types of contracts A contract under this subsection may provide for research and development regarding new or expanded policies, including policies based on adjusted gross income, cost-of-production, quality losses, and an intermediate base program with a higher coverage and cost than catastrophic risk protection. (5) Use of resulting policies The Corporation may offer any policy developed under this subsection that is approved by the Board after expert review in accordance with section 1505(e) of this title . (6) Research and development priorities The Corporation shall establish as one of the highest research and development priorities of the Corporation the development of policies that increase participation by producers of underserved agricultural commodities, including sweet sorghum, biomass sorghum, rice, peanuts, sugarcane, alfalfa, pennycress, dedicated energy crops, and specialty crops. (7) Whole farm diversified risk management insurance plan (A) In general Unless the Corporation approves a whole farm insurance plan, similar to the plan described in this paragraph, to be available to producers for the 2016 reinsurance year, the Corporation shall conduct activities or enter into contracts to carry out research and development to develop a whole farm risk management insurance plan, with a liability limitation of $1,500,000, that allows a diversified crop or livestock producer the option to qualify for an indemnity if actual gross farm revenue is below 85 percent of the average gross farm revenue or the expected gross farm revenue that can reasonably be expected of the producer, as determined by the Corporation. (B) Eligible producers The Corporation shall permit producers (including direct-to-consumer marketers and producers servicing local and regional and farm identity-preserved markets) who produce multiple agricultural commodities, including specialty crops, industrial crops, livestock, and aquaculture products, to participate in the plan developed under subparagraph (A) in lieu of any other plan under this subchapter. (C) Diversification The Corporation may provide diversification-based additional coverage payment rates, premium discounts, or other enhanced benefits in recognition of the risk management benefits of crop and livestock diversification strategies for producers that— (i) grow multiple crops; or (ii) may have income from the production of livestock that uses a crop grown on the farm. (D) Market readiness The Corporation may include coverage for the value of any packing, packaging, or any other similar on-farm activity the Corporation determines to be the minimum required in order to remove the commodity from the field. (E) Review of modifications to improve effectiveness (i) In general Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2018— (I) the Corporation shall hold stakeholder meetings to solicit producer and agent feedback; and (II) the Board shall— (aa) review procedures and paperwork requirements on agents and producers; and (bb) modify procedures and requirements, as appropriate, to decrease burdens and increase flexibility and effectiveness. (ii) Factors In carrying out items (aa) and (bb) of subclause (i)(II), the Board shall consider— (I) removing caps on nursery and livestock production; (II) allowing a waiver to expand operations, especially for small and beginning farmers; (III) minimizing paperwork for producers and agents; (IV) implementing an option for producers with less than $1,000,000 in gross revenue that requires significantly less paperwork and recordkeeping; (V) developing and using alternative records such as time-stamped photographs or technology applications to document planting and production history; (VI) treating the different growth stages of aquaculture species as separate crops to recognize the difference in perils at different phases of growth; (VII) moderating the impacts of disaster years on historic revenue, such as— (aa) using an average of the historic and projected revenue; (bb) counting indemnities as historic revenue for loss years; (cc) counting payments under section 7333 of this title as historic revenue for loss years; or (dd) using an assigned yield floor similar to the limitation described in section 1508(g)(6)(A)(i) of this title , as determined by the Secretary; (VIII) improving agent training and outreach to underserved regions and sectors such as small dairy farms; and (IX) providing coverage and indemnification of insurable losses— (aa) after the losses exceed the deductible; and (bb) up to the maximum amount of total coverage. (8) Relation to limitations A policy developed under this subsection may be prepared without regard to the limitations of this subchapter, including— (A) the requirement concerning the levels of coverage and rates; and (B) the requirement that the price level for each insured agricultural commodity must equal the expected market price for the agricultural commodity, as established by the Board. (9) Tropical storm or hurricane insurance (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure crops (including tomatoes, peppers, and citrus) against losses due to a tropical storm or hurricane. (B) Research and development Research and development under subparagraph (A) shall— (i) evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for a low frequency and catastrophic loss weather event; and (ii) result in a policy that provides protection for at least 1 of the following: (I) Production loss. (II) Revenue loss. (C) Report Not later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under this paragraph; and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (10) Quality loss (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding the establishment of each of the following alternative methods of adjusting for quality losses: (i) A method that does not impact the actual production history of a producer. (ii) A method that provides that, in circumstances in which a producer has suffered a quality loss to the insured crop of the producer that is insufficient to trigger an indemnity payment, the producer may elect to exclude that quality loss from the actual production history of the producer. (iii) 1 or more methods that combine the methods described in clauses (i) and (ii). (B) Requirements Notwithstanding subsections (g) and (m) of section 1508 of this title , any method developed under subparagraph (A) that is used by the Corporation shall be— (i) optional for a producer to use; and (ii) offered at an actuarially sound premium rate. (C) Report Not later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (11) Citrus (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding the insurance of citrus fruit commodities and commodity types, including research and development of— (i) improvements to 1 or more existing policies, including the whole-farm revenue protection pilot policy; (ii) alternative methods of insuring revenue for citrus fruit commodities and commodity types; and (iii) the development of new, or expansion of existing, revenue policies for citrus fruit commodities and commodity types. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (12) Hops (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure the production of hops or revenue derived from the production of hops. (B) Report Not later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (13) Subsurface irrigation practices (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding the creation of a separate practice for subsurface irrigation, including the establishment of a separate transitional yield within a county that is reflective of the average gain in productivity and yield associated with the installation of a subsurface irrigation system. (B) Report Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (14) Grain sorghum (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development— (i) regarding improvements to 1 or more policies to insure irrigated grain sorghum; (ii) regarding alternative methods for producers with not more than 4 years of production history to insure irrigated grain sorghum; and (iii) to assess, by county, the difference in the rate, average yield, and coverage level of grain sorghum policies compared to policies for other feed grains in that county. (B) Report Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (15) Limited irrigation practices (A) Authority The Corporation shall— (i) consider expanding the availability of the limited irrigation insurance program to neighboring and similarly situated States (such as the States of Colorado and Nebraska), as determined by the Secretary; (ii) carry out research, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research, on the marketability of the existing limited irrigation insurance program; and (iii) make recommendations on how to improve participation in that program. (B) Research In carrying out research under subparagraph (A), a qualified person shall— (i) collaborate with researchers on the subjects of— (I) reduced irrigation practices or limited irrigation practices; and (II) expected yield reductions following the application of reduced irrigation; (ii) collaborate with State and Federal officials responsible for the collection of water and the regulation of water use for the purpose of irrigation; (iii) provide recommendations to encourage producers to carry out limited irrigation practices or reduced irrigation and water conservation practices; and (iv) develop web-based applications that will streamline access to coverage for producers electing to conserve water use on irrigated crops. (C) Report Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research carried out under subparagraphs (A) and (B); (ii) any recommendations to encourage producers to carry out limited irrigation practices or reduced irrigation and water conservation practices; and (iii) the actions taken by the Corporation to carry out the recommendations described in clause (ii). (16) Insurable irrigation practices for rice (A) In general The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, to include new and innovative irrigation practices under the current rice policy or the development of a distinct policy endorsement rated for rice produced using— (i) alternate wetting and drying practices (also referred to as “intermittent flooding”); and (ii) furrow irrigation practices. (B) Report Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under paragraph (1); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (17) Greenhouse policy (A) In general (i) Research and development The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure in a controlled environment such as a greenhouse— (I) the production of floriculture, nursery, and bedding plants; (II) the establishment of cuttings or tissue culture in a growing medium; or (III) other similar production, as determined by the Secretary. (ii) Availability of policy Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 1508(a)(1) of this title , and section 1508(a)(2) of this title , the Corporation shall make a policy described in clause (i) available if the requirements of section 1508(h) of this title are met. (B) Research and development described Research and development described in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the effectiveness of policies for the production of plants in a controlled environment, including policies that— (i) are based on the risk of— (I) plant diseases introduced from the environment; (II) contaminated cuttings, seedlings, or tissue culture; or (III) Federal or State quarantine or destruction orders associated with the contaminated items described in subclause (II); (ii) consider other causes of loss applicable to a controlled environment, such as a loss of electricity due to weather; (iii) consider appropriate best practices to minimize the risk of loss; (iv) consider whether to provide coverage for various types of plants under 1 policy or to provide coverage for 1 species or type of plant per policy; (v) have streamlined reporting and paperwork requirements that take into account short propagation schedules, variable crop years, and the variety of plants that may be produced in a single facility; and (vi) provide protection for revenue losses. (C) Report Not later than 2 years after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B); and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. (18) Local foods (A) In general (i) Feasibility study The Corporation shall carry out a study to determine the feasibility of, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out a study to determine the feasibility of, a policy to insure production— (I) of floriculture, fruits, vegetables, poultry, livestock, or the products of floriculture, fruits, vegetables, poultry, or livestock; and (II) that is targeted toward local consumers and markets. (ii) Availability of policy Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 1508(a)(1) of this title , and section 1508(a)(2) of this title , the Corporation shall make available a policy described in clause (i) if— (I) the results of the feasibility study under clause (i) are viable; and (II) the requirements of section 1508(h) of this title are met. (B) Feasibility study described The feasibility study described in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the effectiveness of policies for production targeted toward local consumers and markets, including policies that— (i) consider small-scale production in various areas, including urban, suburban, and rural areas; (ii) consider a variety of marketing strategies; (iii) allow for production in soil and in alternative systems such as vertical systems, greenhouses, rooftops, or hydroponic systems; (iv) consider the price premium when accounting for production or revenue losses; (v) consider whether to provide coverage— (I) for various types of production under 1 policy; and (II) for 1 species or type of plant per policy; and (vi) have streamlined reporting and paperwork requirements. (C) Report Not later than 2 years after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that— (i) examines whether a version of existing policies such as the whole-farm revenue protection insurance plan may be tailored to provide improved coverage for producers of local foods; (ii) describes the results of the feasibility study carried out under subparagraph (A)(i); and (iii) includes any recommendations with respect to those results. (19) High-risk, highly productive batture land policy (A) In general (i) Research and development The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure producers of corn, cotton, and soybeans— (I) with operations on highly productive batture land within the Lower Mississippi River Valley; (II) that have a history of production of not less than 5 years; and (III) that have been impacted by more frequent flooding over the past 10 years due to sedimentation or federally constructed engineering improvements. (ii) Availability of policy Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 1508(a)(1) of this title , and section 1508(a)(2) of this title , the Corporation shall make a policy described in clause (i) available if the requirements of section 1508(h) of this title are met. (B) Research and development described Research and development described in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the feasibility of less cost-prohibitive policies for batture-land producers in high risk areas, including policies that— (i) consider premium rate adjustments; (ii) consider automatic yield exclusion for consecutive-year losses; and (iii) allow for flexibility of final plant dates and prevent plant regulations. (C) Report Not later than 2 years after December 20, 2018, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that— (i) examines whether a version of existing policies may be tailored to provide improved coverage for batture-land producers; (ii) describes the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraphs (A) and (B); and (iii) includes any recommendations with respect to those results.