Task Force Members
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NASDA's Specialty Crop Task Force
The NASDA Specialty Crop Task Force has been created to develop an effort to secure continued funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant program and to work more closely with USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative on issues affecting specialty crops.The task force will analyze the results of the Specialty Crop Block Grant program in all 50 states and develop a plan to take the results to Congress and the administration.
Congressional/Administration Action
Written Comments on the Proposed Rules regarding the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (May 22, 2006)
USDA SEEKS COMMENTS ON PROPOSED RULE FOR THE SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM (Apr. 19, 2006) Specialty Crops Block Grant Program - Proposed Regulations - April 20, 2006 with deadline for comments May 22 (Apr. 20, 2006)
Letter Requesting Full Funding For A Specialty Crops Block Grant Program in the FY 2007 Agricultural Appropriations BillLetter in Support of Funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program in the final version of the FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R. 2744)
SPECIALTY CROPS COMPETITIVENESS ACT OF 2004
Letters to Congress Urging Funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants: Letter to the Senate, Letter to the House; Letter to the Chair and Ranking Chair of the House Appropriations Committee from members of the House; Letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee from members of the Senate; Project Questionnaire (May 13, 2005)
Project Descriptions for projects funded by the Speciality Crop Block Grants
Final Report to Congress (PDF) If you would like a report mailed to you, please request your copy by contacting Jennifer Yezak at NASDA, jennifer@nasda.org or 202-296-9680. Letter to Congress Letter to Congress Press Release
Letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee Strongly Urging Support for the Revised Version of the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act (H.R. 3242) (October 8, 2004)
NASDA Statement before The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies requesting the Senate provide funding for a block grant program in the fiscal year 2005 Agricultural Appropriations Bill (April 1, 2004)
NASDA Statement to the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture regarding the Review of Domestic Policies Affecting the Specialty Crop Industry (Nov. 5, 2003)
Specialty Crop Grant Projects: Examples of Projects Funded by State Departments of Agriculture (Nov. 5, 2003)
H.R. 3242: The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2003
Text of the bill and a summary.
Co-Sponsors as of Nov. 19, 2003
FY 2004 Agricultural Appropriations Bill
Text of the House and Senate bills and status are available on Thomas.
Legislation Creating State Block Grants for Specialty Crop Promotion (2001)
Section 7 (b), of the farm assistance package passed by Congress on August 13, 2001 (Public Law 107-25)-- Section 7 (b) provides "Grants for Value of Production," by State, in the amount that "represents the proportion of the value of specialty crop production in the State in relation to the national value of specialty crop production." The bill then goes on to list the amounts to be granted to each State. The dollars allocated to each State were based upon a percentage derived by adding together the total vegetables cash receipts and the total fruits & nuts cash receipts for that State for 1999, and then dividing that sum by $28,139,112,000, which is the U.S. 1999 total cash receipts for vegetables plus fruits & nuts. The percentage, representing the State's share of the U.S. total cash receipts for those items, was then applied to the $133,400,000 in available grant funds and rounded to come up with the dollar amounts listed in Section 7 (b) to be given to each State. The two cash receipts tables can be found on ERS's website in the section that ranks States by commodity groups, and then access the tables for vegetables, and fruits & nuts: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/farmincome/firkdmu.htm
2001 Farm Assistance Bill: Grants by StateHeadlines
May 13 , 2005 - NASDA URGES CONGRESS TO FUND OF SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM full story...
Dec. 28, 2004 - SPECIALTY CROP BILL SIGNED BY PRESIDENT full story...
April 2, 2004 - NASDA CALLS FOR FUNDING OF SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM full story...March 1, 2004 - MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMITTEE TAKES ACTION ON COOL AND SPECIALTY CROPS full story...
November 7, 2003 - AG SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON SPECIALTY CROP INDUSTRY full story...
November 7, 2003 - NASDA CALLS FOR SPECIALTY CROPS BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM full story...
October 10, 2003 - SPECIALTY CROPS LEGISLATION INTRODUCED full story...
July 11, 2003 - NASDA REQUESTS FUNDING FOR SPECIALTY CROPS BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM full story...
February 7, 2003 - NASDA URGES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT DISASTER ASSISTANCE AID AND SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT FUNDING full story...
January 3, 2003 - NASDA BOARD APPROVES ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIALTY CROP TASK FORCE full story...
April 19, 2002 - NASDA ISSUES SPECIALTY CROP REPORT full story...
October 5, 2001 - NASDA SEEKS GUIDANCE ON SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS full story...
August 24, 2001 - NASDA CREATES MESSAGE BOARD FOR SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS full story...
August 17, 2001 - GUIDANCE ON STATE BLOCK GRANTS EXPECTED SOON full story...
July 20, 2001 - NFACT RECOMMENDS POLICY FOR SPECIALTY CROPS & LIVESTOCK full story...