Jan 22, 2026Specialty crop leaders sound alarm on $100B farm losses, seek $5B in support
A large contingent of specialty crop organizations — including the U.S. Apple Association, International Fresh Produce Association, Georgia and Florida Fruit and Vegetable Associations, Organic Trade Association and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance — is sounding the alarm about the economic crisis in rural America in a letter sent to lawmakers in Congress.
The letter warns that U.S. farmers face an existential economic threat, citing rising bankruptcies, limited access to financing and years of record-high input costs alongside historically low commodity and specialty crop prices, resulting in negative margins and losses nearing $100 billion nationwide.
The letter was posted by the American Farm Bureau and is available below as a pdf.
In total, 56 U.S. farm advocacy groups signed the letter, hoping to send a strong message to Congress. POLITICO recently reported that Congress is considering up to “$15 billion in relief payments” to growers.
Spudman managing editor Melinda Waldrop also reports the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance recently put a hard number to its ongoing request for grower aid, asking for $5 billion in “dedicated aid” and calling the apparent omission of additional support for specialty crop farmers “deeply concerning”.
“At a time when producers face rising costs, domestic labor shortages and severe market and weather challenges, this omission is deeply concerning,” the co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) said in a news release.
“Specialty crops are vital to healthy diets and rural economies. Yet producers continue to lack the economic support they need to withstand ongoing disruptions and remain competitive.”
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.
The USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance program announced in December allocated $11 billion to row crops while only $1 billion is reserved for specialty crops and other commodities, with details on eligibility, payment formulas and timing still unresolved.
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.
Negotiations to re-open the government in late-2025 set Jan. 30 as a funding deadline, so perhaps there is still time for Congress to allocate additional resources to the specialty crop sector.
