Boyd Stands Up For Florida's Farmers

Press Release

BOYD STANDS UP FOR FLORIDA'S FARMERS

Farm Bill provides historic support for Florida's specialty crops

Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida), a fifth generation farmer and a member of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, today stood with Florida's farmers and voted for the fiscally responsible Conference Report on the Food and Energy Security Act (HR 2419), commonly known as the Farm Bill. For the first time ever, the Farm Bill provides substantial, mandatory support to the specialty crop industry, guaranteeing $230 million for fruit and vegetable programs over five years.

The Farm Bill establishes a mandatory Specialty Crop Research Initiative to help meet the pressing research challenges of specialty crops, such as developing pest and disease resistant crops and ways to mitigate threats posed by invasive species, improving production systems and harvesting techniques, and creating new and innovative marketing opportunities for Florida crops. The Farm Bill also provides $466 million in block grant funding to support projects in marketing, research, education, pest and disease management, nutrition, and food safety. Under the bill, Florida would be the second largest recipient of agriculture block grants based on the state's specialty crop production.

In the past, specialty crops, like those grown in Florida, have not received traditional Farm Bill benefits for nutrition, research, pest management, and trade promotion programs. Specialty crops, which include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery products, are a significant part of our country's agriculture industry, constituting almost 50 percent of total cash receipts.

"Fruits and vegetables must have an equal seat at the table, and that is what this Farm Bill does," said Congressman Boyd. "Specialty crops are an integral pillar of our agriculture economy, and I am proud that the Farm Bill will provide the assistance to support our specialty crop producers and keep the industry competitive in a changing global market."

Also critical to Florida, the Farm Bill increases total spending on conservation programs by $7.9 billion and provides $3.4 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP is a widely utilized conservation program in Florida that offers technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices to protect water, air, and soil quality.

The Farm Bill also creates a new disaster assistance program to assist agriculture producers who lose their crops, livestock, or trees or who suffer from shallow losses due to disasters such as floods and drought. The program will complement the crop insurance program by providing additional assistance to farmers based on loss of crop revenue for their whole farm operation.

Additionally, the Farm Bill takes critical steps to expand renewable fuel production needed to encourage American energy independence and protect our environment. The bill provides $1.1 billion to fund programs that will help the renewable energy industry invest in new technologies that use a variety of sources beyond feed grains.

"As I have said many times before, our country cannot continue to be the strongest country in the world if we are dependent on foreign countries for food and energy," Boyd stated. "Maintaining a healthy agriculture industry and encouraging energy independence should be both economic and national security priorities. The Farm Bill not only supports our nation's food producers, but it also gives the agriculture industry an important role in securing our energy supply."

The fiscally responsible Farm Bill is fully paid for and does not add to the federal budget deficit. The conference report now awaits action by the Senate and then will be sent to the President for his signature.

"This Farm Bill cuts across party and regional lines and reflects the need to ensure the economic vitality of our crops to benefit farmers and the health of all Americans," Boyd stated. "The President has said publicly that he will veto this bill, but I encourage him to stand with our agriculture community and sign this important bill into law when it reaches his desk."

The Farm Bill has been endorsed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and numerous farm groups, including the Florida Farm Bureau, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, and the Florida Cattlemen Association.

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