Groups are turning to Congress for appropriate funds to help specialty crop growers
This week, the National Potato Council engaged with Congress and the Administration to develop a meaningful economic relief package for specialty crop growers in response to the Administration’s announcement of a $12 billion farm aid plan that primarily benefits program crop growers.
The aid package announced by President Trump and Secretary Rollins on Monday allocates $11 billion of the funding for major row crops, reserving $1 billion for the potential future support of other commodities, including specialty crops. Specialty crop industry groups responded to the announcement, saying they are concerned that this limited funding and lack of specific details for producers may not provide the necessary short-term certainty or resources.
NPC has argued that the relief needed is very substantial, with estimates showing that for growers of Russet potatoes alone, “losses this year are about half a billion dollars,” NPC CEO Kam Quarles told the news outlet Reuters.
On Wednesday, Quarles and other Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) partners met with USDA leadership to discuss the announced package. The goal of the meeting was to help USDA better understand the scope of the crisis for specialty crops and explain why mechanisms like the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP-2) and the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program were particularly effective for an industry different from row crops.
The SCFBA continues to assert that specialty crop producers, who grow over 300 different fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other commodities, face unique challenges in demonstrating financial hardship, and, unlike major row crops, which often have commodity futures markets to show price declines, almost no specialty crops have this data readily available.
Media has reported that specialty crop groups are turning to lawmakers, asking Congress to appropriate additional funds to help specialty crop growers who are dealing with increased costs for labor, fertilizer, seeds, and international market uncertainty due to trade disputes.
Quarles spoke to Politico (subscription required) and emphasized that Congress will likely need to provide additional resources. “We’re assuming, since [USDA] has limited resources, this will probably have to be some additional package to address specialty crops that Congress gets involved in,” said Quarles. “If the relief that’s necessary is going to arrive, it is likely to come in partnership between the administration and Congress.”
NPC is monitoring developments and working to ensure that the U.S. potato industry and its specialty crop allies receive the support needed to navigate the current economic challenges.
