US HB5551

Requires a mandatory one-time update of base acres for covered commodities starting with the 2025 crop year, replacing the previous election-based system under the Agricultural Act of 2014

Calculates new base acres using a 5-year average of acreage planted to each covered commodity from 2020 through 2024 crop years, including acreage prevented from planting due to drought, flood, or other natural disasters

Distributes base acres proportionally based on each commodity's share of total covered commodity plantings on a farm during the 2020-2024 period

Eliminates "generic base acres" from the agricultural support program, removing all references to this category throughout the relevant statutes

Allows farm owners to choose which commodity counts when the same acreage was planted to multiple covered commodities in the same crop year, excluding established double-cropping practices