Alliance co-chairs have responded to specialty crops being left out of a final year-end economic assistance package negotiated by congressional leaders.

Produce industry leaders are trying to make sure the specialty crop industry isn’t left behind in an end-of-year funding bill.

In a letter issued to the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees, the co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance expressed their disappointment that specialty crop production — which represents nearly half the farmgate value of U.S. agriculture — is left out of the final year-end economic assistance package negotiated by congressional leaders.

The group is co-chaired by International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Mike Joyner, Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia and National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles.

“Shortly after the FARM Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in October, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance put together a proposed structure for economic aid for our industry,” the group said in a statement. “We shared this proposal with the agriculture and appropriations committees in the House and Senate and requested that if Congress were to advance an economic assistance package for agriculture that it be inclusive of specialty crops.”

After that, in recognition of the severe and unique challenges confronting specialty crop growers in the U.S., the USDA announced the new Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program, the alliance said in the statement.

“This $2 billion in economic assistance that is being provided through MASC is an important down payment for our growers, and except for the structure of the payment limits, it is substantially similar to what the alliance proposed in October,” the group said. “We are grateful to the department for recognizing this immediate need and for taking this important first step, however, more is required.”

The alliance said it has been communicating with congressional staff throughout the year-end negotiations, advocating that Congress include economic assistance for specialty crops in the form of additional funding for MASC along with adjustments to the program’s payment limits.

“It is now clear that this request has been left out of the final package negotiated by congressional leaders,” the alliance said.

The group has proposed a path forward to assist specialty crop growers by requesting support for an additional $3 billion in funding for MASC and changes to the program’s payment limitations.

“Specialty crops include nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, which should make up more than half of an American’s diet according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” the alliance said. “It is imperative that specialty crop growers in the United States receive economic aid similar to that which Congress is providing to row crops, which include payment limits twice the level of those announced for specialty crops in MASC. Accordingly, we are requesting that each of you support our request to the Department of Agriculture for an additional $3 billion in funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation for the MASC program and that it adopt the payment limits used for CFAP-2, including the three-entity multiplier.”

The alliance said it also reiterated the need for Congress to provide certainty to specialty crop growers by passing a bipartisan five-year farm bill, rather than an extension, which delays much-needed investments for the industry.

“The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance has been advocating for new and innovative long-term investments in the farm bill to help our growers compete in an increasingly challenging marketplace,” the group said. “These proposals, which include innovative new programs for research, risk management, technological advancement and trade, have been receiving widespread bipartisan support from both houses of Congress. Another extension of the 2018 farm bill disproportionately affects specialty crop growers by further delaying these investments in an industry that is vital to the health and well-being of all Americans.”

Source - https://www.thepacker.com