Page 5 - January_2019

On Dec. 20, 2018, President Trump signed the Agriculture Act of 2018 into law, legislation more commonly referred to as “The Farm Bill.” This biparti-
san, bicameral legislation was the product of two years of work by United Fresh and its allied agricultural organizations and result- ed in signi cant improvements to programs that bene t the fresh produce industry. De- spite the partisan rancor that grips our na- tion’s capital, the Farm Bill shined as a bright light on the ability of Congress to bridge partisan differences and come together to address the needs of farmers, businesses and consumers. 87 Senators and 369 Mem- bers of the House of Representatives voted to pass this legislation, marking a high water mark for support in the history of this eight- decade-old public policy.
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative and the Specialty Crop Block Grant program saw signi cant wins for these programs. The Farm Bill allows all specialty crops to compete for the full $80 million per year for specialty crop research and sets aside $25 million per year for the creation of a citrus trust fund to help combat citrus greening. The new provisions are effectively a $125 million increase over the 2014 level funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. In addition, the legis- lation continues funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant program at 2018 levels and provides $85 million per year, which represents a substantial increase in total funding for the program from $375 million to $425 million and works to help ease existing hurdles in current law that have made the funding of multi-state projects more dif cult. Furthermore, pest and disease programs will be maintained with funding at $75 million per year for research. Language was included to help coordinate research projects to ensure
Specialty Crops & The Farm Bill
BY CARLY GRETHER, MANAGER, ISSUE ADVOCACY AND JOHN HOLLAY, SENIOR DIRECTOR, PUBLIC POLICY
better utilization of existing resources and reauthorize the National Clean Plant Network. Overall, this is an increase in funding of $50 million over the life of the 2018 Farm Bill for pest and diseases.
The Farm Bill creates an International Market Development Program that contains several trade promotion programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP) and Tech- nical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC). Although they were separate trade promotion programs in the 2014 bill, under the 2018 bill, the revised structure ensures both programs receive funding at levels of no less than $200 million and $9 million per year, respectively. It also eliminates statutory impediments and encourages regulatory enhancements to make TASC more accessible.
Language on mechanization made its way into the bill under the research title. This was done to ensure the prioritization of research into mechanization in various USDA programs, and language was inserted to recognize the growing need for mechaniza- tion in labor-intensive agricultural commodi- ties. Additionally, it requires the USDA Secre- tary of Agriculture to assess how programs can be used to support development of mech- anization tools for specialty crops.
Under the nutrition title in the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA is directed to issue formal guid- ance to states on the waiver process for retailers that wish to incentivize purchases for SNAP consumers. Allowable foods include fruits, vegetables, dairy and whole grains. In addition, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), which provides fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to low-income elemen- tary students, continues to be funded and maintains fresh-only offerings. The Food Inse- curity and Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program is funded at $250 million, an increase from $135 million. This funding establishes the
program permanently, targets retailers that are open year-round with more convenient hours of operation and prioritizes projects that allow for incentives to be redeemed for fruits and vegetables only. The program also carves out funding for health care providers, allowing for fresh fruits and vegetables to be “prescribed” to low-income patients through vouchers. Finally, the bill directs USDA to fully enforce existing “Buy American” provisions and clari es that the USDA should ensure that state agencies and school districts have a thorough understanding of compliance. The USDA must issue a report to Congress within 180 days outlining their plan and progress.
Some programs in the Farm Bill will see several changes, including The National Organic Program and development of the New Program for Urban Agriculture. Changes to the National Organic Program were put in place to both protect the domestic organic market and ensure foreign competitors follow U.S. organic food production regulations. Additionally, the legislation changes the representation on the National Organic Stan- dards Board (NOSB) to allow for employees of an operation — not just the owner — to be board members. Urban Agriculture sees a signi cant win and provides $10 million in mandatory funds to this new program. The USDA will establish a new of ce to assist urban farmers and indoor growers to help them access federal assistance, gain insight into best practices and ensure their eligibility for risk management tools typically set aside for traditional growers.
Overall, the 2018 Farm Bill was a major victory for the specialty crop industry. It represents a continued investment in key policy areas related to trade enhancement, access to healthy fresh fruits and vegeta- bles, pest and disease prevention, targeted research and block grant funding.
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