How USDA plans to make the U.S. specialty crop sector more competitive

The USDA is initiating a new effort to further support and increase the competitiveness of the U.S. specialty crops sector.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced the initiative Nov. 9. 

“USDA is working to ensure Americans have continued access to fresh healthy quality food so that we can support the industry's ability to remain competitive domestically and in markets across the world,” Torres Small said in a press briefing on Nov. 9. “When I talk to farmers, often they face a struggle figuring out what program is for them, and specifically specialty crop farmers sometimes don't know if the program if they qualify for these programs.”

She said the specialty crops competitiveness initiative will raise awareness of which USDA services and resources are available to support the specialty crops industry. In addition, with the help of the industry, she said the initiative will help the agency identify gaps in those services.

She said the USDA is committed to being an “active partner” with the specialty crops industry in its efforts to increase the consumption of specialty crop products.

As part of the effort, USDA conducted a department-wide review of its current services and programs that support the specialty crops industry and compiled the information into a Specialty Crops Resource Directory, the release said.

The directory is a "one-stop shop" for the sector and contains a comprehensive snapshot of USDA’s resources and services for specialty crop producers and businesses in one convenient location, the release said. 

Additionally, over the next several months, USDA leadership will engage directly with the specialty crop industry and producers to gain feedback on how the Department can better address gaps in services and better meet the industry’s needs. Dates and locations of roundtables and other live opportunities for stakeholder feedback are to be announced, according to the release.

Stakeholders in the specialty crop industry can submit comments at the Federal Register. Comments are due by March 8, 2024. A new specialty crops-dedicated webpage designed to provide information on the initiative is now available, the release said.
Small made the announcement as Biden Administration officials are traveling the country as part of the Investing in Rural America Event Series to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments are bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns and communities, and more opportunity throughout the country, the release said.

In addition, USDA today announced that it is investing $70.2 million in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to support 21 research and Extension projects that address key challenges of national, regional and multistate importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems, the release said.

The 21 projects include a study by Michigan State University that aims to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the U.S. blueberry industry by developing methods to improve fruit quality and reduce crop loss, according to the release.

Another specialty crop program is the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), with $100 million set aside to help specialty crop producers access global markets through targeted technical assistance to overcome onerous trade barriers.

In addition, USDA implemented new and expanded crop insurance options for specialty crop and organic producers and implemented the 2022 Emergency Relief Program for specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events. In August, USDA marked over $1 billion invested in nearly 12,000 projects through the Specialty Crop Block Grant awards. 

USDA also continues its support for the industry through its food purchases for nutrition assistance programs, which encourages the consumption of domestic foods. In the fiscal year 2023, USDA purchased $1.8 billion of U.S.-produced specialty crops products for use by federal nutrition assistance programs to deliver food to schools, food banks, and households in communities across the country and to international food aid programs assisting vulnerable populations around the world the release said.

Asked by The Packer in the media briefing about how the initiative related to labor issues, Torres Small the USDA’s Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program aims to make sure farmworkers are treated fairly and also to ensure that there is a strong labor supply for growers.

“Labor is a big challenge,” she said. “The goal (of the pilot program) at USDA is to be able to show that we can address these challenges while recognizing that for a fully-fledged solution, it is really in Congress's hands.”