September 25, 2006

ISSUE 1134

TAYLOR TO TESTIFY AT FARM BILL HEARING, SPECIALTY CROP FARM BILL ACT TO BE INTRODUCED

Representing FFVA and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, FFVA Chairman Jay Taylor will appear before the Livestock and Horticulture Subcommittee of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee Tuesday (September 26) to address the future direction of the 2007 Farm Bill.

Taylor’s testimony will conicide with the introduction of a specialty crop farm bill act, crafted by the alliance, that focuses on several priorities. Those include prohibiting the planting of fruits and vegetables on contract acres; the need for state block grants, disaster assistance and conservation policies; and the importance of technical assistance and market access programs, as well as federal programs directed at research, nutrition and prevention of invasive pests and diseases.

The legislation would allocate about $1 billion a year over five years to specialty crop growers across the country. Representatives Adam Putnam (R-FL), Richard Pombo (R-CA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), and John Salazar (D-C0) are sponsoring the act, which was created “to continue and expand upon previous congressional efforts to ensure an abundant and affordable supply of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and other specialty crops for American consumers and international markets, to enhance the competitiveness of United States-grown specialty crops, and for other purposes.”