Dec 20, 2018

Farm bill signed by President Trump; reaction positive

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Dec. 20 celebrated President Donald Trump’s signing of the 2018 Farm Bill and issued the following statement:

“This is a great day for our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers, as President Trump’s signature on this bill is a Christmas present to American agriculture. Farmers take financial risks every year as a matter of doing business, so having a Farm Bill in place gives them peace of mind to make their decisions for the future. Since early talks on this Farm Bill began back in 2017, I’ve always believed it would be more evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, and that has borne out to be true.

“The bill bolsters farm safety net programs, protects federal crop insurance, and maintains strong rural development and research initiatives. The legislation reinvents the Margin Protection Program for dairy producers, providing a boost to coverage levels and a reduction in premiums after the program fell short in the 2014 Farm Bill. The bill also includes a new Animal Disease Prevention and Management program, providing annual funding for three animal health programs. This includes a new vaccine bank focused on foot-and-mouth disease and extended funding of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network to protect our borders and improve food safety.

“While we would have liked more progress on forest management reforms and work requirements for certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, we look forward to using our authorities to make improvements in those areas. All told, this is a Farm Bill that should be welcomed by producers, and at USDA we will eagerly implement its provisions. At USDA, we were pleased to provide a tremendous amount of technical assistance to Congress as legislators wrote the bill. I thank the President for his leadership on this legislation, and commend the Senate and House Agriculture Committees for their many months of hard work.”

Sen. Stabenow touts bipartisan effort

 U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, applauded the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill after President Trump signed the bill into law. Stabenow co-authored the bill as Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

“The 2018 Farm Bill is now the law of the land,” said Senator Stabenow. “In Michigan, agriculture is our second largest industry, supporting one in four jobs. This bill will grow our state’s diverse agricultural economy and support our farmers, families, and rural communities.”

The bipartisan bill strongly supports Michigan’s farmers and agricultural economy, which is the state’s second-largest industry. The bill also has a major impact in protecting Michigan’s Great Lakes, investing in our small towns and rural communities, promoting Michigan forestry, supporting local food economies, and providing healthy food for families.”

Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance commends signing

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), representing over 120 specialty crop organizations across the United States, released the following statement after H.R. 2 (115), the Farm Bill, was signed into law by President Trump during in the final Congressional session of 2018:

“The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance applauds the efforts of the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in passing the Farm Bill. The programs included in the Farm Bill play a critical role in the success and advancement of the specialty crop industry, and the Alliance is pleased this bipartisan legislation has been signed into law by the President before the end of the year.

The Alliance recognizes its three co-chairs: John Keeling, executive president and CEO of the National Potato Council, Mike Stuart, chief executive officer of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, and Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers Association, for their leadership and commitment to the specialty crop industry. The Alliance also thanks House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for their leadership in getting the Farm Bill through both chambers of Congress. Finally, the Alliance expresses gratitude to U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and the Farm Bill conference committee members for their bipartisan efforts to submit a final conference report.

The following programs and funding included in the 2018 Farm Bill will bolster and strengthen the specialty crop industry over the next five years:

• Enhanced funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), allowing all specialty crops to compete for the full $80 million annually for the SCRI program

• An annual trust fund of $25 million annually to maintain resources for the citrus industry for combating citrus greening

• Full $9 million annual funding of the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program, which encourages reduction of bureaucratic impediments to make the program more efficient in overcoming trade barriers

• Continued support for programs that combat invasive pests and diseases at $75 million annually, with the goal of enhancing its funding in five years by $7.5 million to fund the National Clean Plant Network

• Increased Food Insecurity Nutrition Initiative (FINI) funding levels and continued support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Continued strong funding of Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) • Improved access to foreign markets through increased funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) of at least $200 million annually

• Strong language in SCRI, AFRI and the newly created AGARDA program focusing on mechanization as a priority

• Reforms to the National Organic Program (NOP) operation

“We are grateful to see such consistent, strong support of specialty crops in the Farm Bill. The bipartisan support of lawmakers in Congress is appreciated by the entire industry,” said John Keeling, executive president and CEO of the National Potato Council. “The programs included in the 2018 Farm Bill will help specialty crops compete in a global marketplace, develop research tools that improve the cultivation process, and contribute to a healthier America.”

“The passage of H.R. 2 is critically important to our producers and stakeholders,” said Mike Stuart, CEO of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. “This bill is going to strengthen our industry by enhancing nutrition programs, continuing to support Specialty Crop Block Grants, combating invasive pest and diseases, supporting trade programs, and providing funding for research.”

“Specialty crops represent approximately $70 billion in farm receipts annually, impacting large and small, rural and urban communities – and the entire specialty crops industry relies on the certainty and support that only a five-year Farm Bill can provide,” said Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers Association.

“We are pleased the President recognizes the importance of the Farm Bill to agriculture and the value of the specialty crop industry in the United States.”

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance is a national coalition of more than 120 organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products. The Alliance was established to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop agriculture and improve the health of Americans by broadening the scope of U.S. agricultural public policy. For more information, visit http://www.farmbillalliance.org

US Apple supportive

Jim Bair, President and CEO, U.S. Apple Association, said in a statement:

“The U.S. Apple Association is extremely pleased with today’s presidential signing of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018.  This new Farm Bill is excellent for the U.S. apple industry as it maintains and expands funding for key apple-supported programs. It is a positive step forward for growers as they head into 2019. 

USApple-supported provisions include:

• Maintained funding for federal crop insurance programs, including those that cover apples.
• Continued funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants at $80 million annually.
• A net increase of $25 million in funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. This critical program has been utilized by the apple industry for important projects including efforts to combat pests such as the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and Spotted Lanternfly.
• Continued funding for important trade promotion programs, including $200 million for the Market Access Program (MAP) and $9 million for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC).
• Support for programs that combat invasive pests and diseases at $75 million annually.
• Preservation of the integrity of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program.
• Strengthened “Buy American” provisions for foods purchased for federal feeding programs.

“During the past two years, as a leader in the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, USApple worked closely with Congressional leaders to secure continued funding for important apple-related, specialty crop programs. USApple also played an active role to defeat proposed cuts to programs like crop insurance and MAP.

“We appreciate the efforts of Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, (R-Kan.), Senate Agriculture Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conway, R-Texas, and House Agriculture Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, for getting the Farm Bill over the finish line with strong bi-partisan support.”

Biological Products Industry Alliance credits recognition

The Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) stressed the importance of defining biostimulants in the new farm bill.

“The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill, was signed into law on December 20, 2018, and provides the first statutory language regarding plant biostimulants in any law in the United States. This is a major step forward for biostimulant products, and it is the direct result of a multiyear effort led by BPIA’s Biostimulant Integration Committee (BIC) and Government Affairs Committee (GAC) on behalf of the entire biostimulants industry.

The 2018 Farm Bill describes a plant biostimulant as “a substance or micro-organism that, when applied to seeds, plants, or the rhizosphere, stimulates natural processes to enhance or benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, or crop quality and yield.” Biostimulants are playing an increasingly important role with farmers to make their crops more productive thereby increasing farm profitability.

The inclusion of a description of a plant biostimulant is a huge development in the long-term goal of understanding and recognizing these beneficial products. This new law will support the development of new sustainable technologies for U.S. agriculture and its farmers. This is the first description of a plant biostimulant in any U.S. legislation, and it is largely consistent with the definition currently under development within the European Union.

The 2018 Farm Bill includes language that requires the Secretary of Agriculture, EPA Administrator, states and relevant stakeholders to provide a report to Congress that identifies any potential regulatory and legislative recommendations, including the appropriateness of any definition for plant biostimulants. The intent of this report is to facilitate the development a regulatory framework for plant biostimulant products and to ensure the efficient and appropriate review, approval, uniform national labeling, and availability of these products to agricultural producers.

The 2018 Farm Bill is an important step toward’s BPIA’s ultimate goals of creating greater clarity for bringing biostimulant products to market, greater credibility of biostimulant products efficacy and safety, and uniformity in labeling biostimulant products nationally and internationally.

BPIA thanks all our members and partners who have worked so hard over the last several years to achieve this significant legislative accomplishment.”

A summary of the 2018 Farm Bill is available here.