March 12, 2006

ISSUE 1157

STUDY SAYS LIFTING PLANTING RESTRICTIONS WOULD HURT SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCERS

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, of which FFVA is a member, unveiled a report at a March 2 congressional briefing that analyzed the impact on specialty crop producers of removing the planting restrictions on program crop base acreage. Removal of the restrictions is a possibility in the upcoming farm bill.

The report, prepared by Informa Economics, Inc., looks at a wide range of states and specialty crop commodities and concluded that removing the planting restrictions would result in a realignment of market forces that have long influenced the total supply of specialty crops. That realignment would increase the supply of fruits and vegetables and result in a reduction of income to those growers in excess of $3 billion.

For a copy of the full report and additional information about the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, please visit www.competitive agriculture.org.

FFVA has learned that legislation that will benefit specialty crop growers will be introduced March 15. The Farm Bill Alliance has spent the past week going through measures contained in the Senate bill, which will probably be introduced the week of March 19.