Supporting Our Specialty Crop Growers
Weekly Column by Congressman Doc Hastings
Farming and ranching has always been at the heart of the Central Washington economy. With global competition on the rise, our farmers and ranchers are faced with new challenges - and opportunities - every day. It is essential that federal agriculture policies promote the long-term competitiveness of American agriculture, so that the foundation of our communities is maintained for future generations.
Unfortunately, the fruit and vegetable "specialty crops" are too often ignored when it comes to the development of U.S. farm policies. Central Washington is a leading producer of many specialty crops, including potatoes, onions, apples, grapes, pears, hops, mint and asparagus to name just a few. That's why I am backing a new bipartisan plan, the "Equitable Agriculture Today for a Healthy America Act," to expand international markets for specialty crops grown in Central Washington and encourage consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables here at home.
When talking with local growers, I hear about the challenges of competing with foreign producers who are aided by tariffs, subsidies and other unfair trade policies. Our proposal would help specialty crop growers increase access to export markets through the expansion of the Market Access Program, which provides funds for commodity promotion activities in foreign markets.
To ensure that specialty crop issues are made a priority in trade agreements and federal policies, the bill would elevate the profile of specialty crops within the United States Department of Agriculture and the office of the Unites States Trade Representative.
Our bill would also expand the fruit and vegetable snack program, which helps schools to provide kids with healthy snack choices. I pushed to bring this program to Washington state and would like to see it expanded nationwide.
The plan would make significant new investments in agriculture research that will help American farmers reap the benefits of the science and technology necessary to remain competitive in the ever-changing global marketplace. Specifically, an increased commitment for research into the prevention of invasive plant pests and diseases is proposed in our plan.
The bill would also increase funding for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program and expand the Specialty Crop Block Grant program.
I'm pleased that the "Equitable Agriculture Today for a Healthy America Act" has over eighty Republican and Democrat cosponsors. I'll continue working on behalf of our specialty crop growers to move this bill through Congress so that, ultimately, it can be enacted into law and benefit our farmers.