Members of Congress Push for Increased Funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants
News Date May 07, 2007
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), and 65 of their House colleagues asked appropriators to provide the full $44.5 million in block grants to state agriculture departments in the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill. The grants support research, improve food safety and inspection, and enhance the ability of American producers to compete internationally. In a letter sent last week to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Congressional members urged appropriators to fully fund the Specialty Crop Block Grants program which received only $7 million of the $44.5 million authorized by the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 for each of the past two years.
"Growers in Washington state are not only competing with farmers down the road, but around the world," said Larsen. "To help Washington farmers thrive in the face of international competition, we need to plant the seeds for success. That means investing in initiatives that work like the Specialty Crop Block grants program."
The letter states that specialty crop block grants are urgently needed to promote investment in research and targeted strategies that will enable U.S. specialty crop growers to remain competitive in global markets. It also went on to say that the specialty crop industry plays an important role in the overall agriculture trade picture, and the Specialty Crop Block Grants can provide the necessary tools needed for the industry to prosper.
In March, Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), Putman, Larsen, Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.), Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.), and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced the "Equitable Agriculture Today for a Healthy America Act" (EAT Healthy America Act). This bill would support specialty crop growers by increasing market access, encouraging and facilitating consumption of nutritious agricultural products, expanding funding for research programs and increasing opportunities for family farmers in conservation programs. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)