Specialty Crops Getting Short Changed on New Farmer Bridge Assistance?

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) is backing the bipartisan leadership of the Congressional Specialty Crop Caucus for urging immediate and equitable economic relief for specialty crop producers and called on Congress and the administration to act without delay. Earlier this month, The Trump Administration announced USDA will make $12 billion available in one-time bridge payments to American farmers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. Out of that total, $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, which provides broad relief to U.S. row crop farmers. The remaining will be reserved for specialty crops. This disparity is not sitting well with leaders in the specialty crop sector.

The Congressional Specialty Crop Caucus sent a letter last week to the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees in response to USDA’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program.

“After months of uncertainty, specialty crop growers urgently need clarity and meaningful relief, and we appreciate the Specialty Crop Caucus for elevating this issue and making clear that specialty crops must be included in any relief package for American agriculture,” co-chairs of the SCFBA said in response. “Specialty crops are both an economic engine and the source of the most nutritious foods in the American diet, but current policies fail to reflect their importance to public health and food security.”

Specialty crops — including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery, greenhouse, and floriculture products — generate more than $75 billion annually in U.S. agricultural cash receipts, account for more than one-third of all U.S. crop sales, and support rural economies nationwide. Under the current USDA farm aid framework, $11 billion is allocated to row crops while only $1 billion is reserved for specialty crops and other commodities, with key details on eligibility, payment formulas, and timing still unresolved.

“Specialty crop growers cannot afford further delay, and we urge congressional leadership and the Administration to move immediately to deliver proportional, transparent, and timely relief that reflects the economic significance and unique cost structures of specialty crop agriculture,” SCFBA co-chairs add.

CLICK HERE to read the letter sent by the Congressional Specialty Crop Caucus on behalf of the specialty crop sector.

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

Do you think specialty crops are getting short changed in USDA’s Farmers Bridge Assistance Program? Leave a comment below.