The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance joined more than 50 agricultural organizations from across the country on March 19 to urge assistance for America’s farmers. Led by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the letter to President Trump highlights impacts to America’s food production, specifically challenges faced due to market pressures, extreme winter weather and geopolitical uncertainty.
Speaking to challenges faced by specialty crop growers specifically, the letter says while investments made by USDA last year were much needed, farmers were then hit with extreme weather events in January of this year, which caused billions of dollars in losses, including major losses for fruit, vegetable and citrus crops in the Southeast. Meanwhile, in the West, a warm winter has raised concerns for irrigation water supplies in the coming months.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent fuel and fertilizer prices skyrocketing, has further strained the farm economy, the letter says. And maritime freight disruptions from the ongoing conflict in Iran propose “significant consequences to food security here at home and around the world.”
“The adversity facing our industry has never been greater, and it is essential that the administration strengthen and expand support for our specialty crop growers,” the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance said in a statement. “Specialty crops account for one-third of all U.S. crop sales and should receive no less than one-third of any agricultural aid package. That is why we continue to call on Congress for a dedicated aid package for specialty crops of not less than $5 billion, with clear guidance for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to structure the program after President Trump’s highly successful CFAP-2 program. The future of America’s specialty crop industry depends on meaningful, proportionate support.”
The groups’ letter to Trump asks for “meaningful support for all specialty crop” growers among other farmers and ranchers.
“Without timely assistance, continued losses risk accelerating farm closures, reducing domestic production capacity and weakening the ability of farmers and ranchers across this great nation to provide food, clothes and fuel for the American people,” the letter says.
Among the more than 50 farming groups that signed the letter were numerous groups representing specialty crop interests, including the California Avocado Commission, Florida Citrus Mutual, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, International Fresh Produce Association, National Potato Council, National Watermelon Association, North American Blueberry Council, Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, Texas Citrus Mutual, U.S. Apple Association, Western Growers Association and more.
USDA Undersecretary on FBA, Additional Specialty Crop Aid
“AgriTalk’s” Chip Flory spoke with Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation, on March 18 about the status of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, if additional aid may be coming and what specialty crop growers can expect.
“[The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program] is rolling along really well,” Fordyce says, adding they’ve received close to 400,000 applications since Feb. 23, when applications opened. “We’re upward — getting close — to $9 billion obligated in that program out of a total of $11 billion. So, we’re well on our way to getting that finished. Folks have until April 17 to take a look at the form again. It’s prefilled. Nothing for the producer to do except sign the form.”
Flory then asked Fordyce about the $1 billion in allocation for specialty crops and sugar. Citing a Civil Eats report, which says some smaller specialty crop farmers didn’t apply for aid before the March 13 deadline because the process was too onerous, he asked the undersecretary what he’s hearing.
Fordyce says specialty crop growers interested in applying for aid were asked to report acreage and crop types by March 13.
“If folks got in, or at least notified the local FSA office that they wanted to do an acreage report, we put them on what we call ‘a register,’ and we’re going to get those … finished in the next week or two, when we know the universe of acres that will be in specialty crops. Then we’ll be able to actually calculate the payment rates and make those announcements. Then we’ll start with the implementation of that program, very similarly to the way we did the Farmer Bridge Assistance.”
Does Fordyce see momentum in Congress toward another farm support program?
“We do hear some signals that there is a desire to do some additional — to offer some additional assistance,” he says. “I just don’t know what that number would look like.”
As for specialty crop groups who are hoping for a bigger piece of the support pie if there is another round of funding, Fordyce says “it makes sense” they would get more aid.
“The split on the FBA versus the specialty crops was really due to the total impacted acres … the fact that we had some economic data [and] we were able to calculate payment rates probably a bit more representative on the Farmer Bridge Assistance,” he says. “From what I’m hearing, if there’s additional assistance coming from Congress, specialty crops would be included in that.”
