In the United States, under some previous commodity support laws, crop acreage base

Crop acreage base

Crop acreage base is a crop-specific measure equal to the average number of acres planted to a particular program crop for a specified number of years. The crop-specific nature of this measurement was important prior to the 1996 farm bill , which adopted an inclusive measure of base acreage and...

s were, in general, calculated as a 5-year average of planted and considered planted acreage. Acreage considered planted included acreage idled under production adjustment programs or idled for weather-related reasons or natural disasters; acreage devoted to conservation purposes or planted to certain other allowed commodities; and acreage USDA determined was necessary for fair and equitable treatment.