WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday at the June 7 hearing, members of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) testified to the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research. The hearing was titled “How the Farm Bill Works for Specialty Crop Producers.”

“The Farm Bill is the single greatest investment in the produce and floral industries and is up for reauthorization every five years,” said IFPA Vice President of U.S. Government Relations, Rebeckah Adcock. “Fresh produce comes together with our like-minded allies to advocate for policies that keep specialty crops competitive and provide the most nutritious, safe, and delicious products to American families. Our members, with their first-hand experience of both policies that work and those that do not, make the best advocates before Members of Congress as they head into Farm Bill negotiations.”

Charles Wingard, Vice President of Field Operations at Walter P. Rawl & Co., provided testimony on behalf of IFPA and the produce industry. He shared support for the work and recommendations of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, highlighting some of the key priorities critical to the success and growth of the specialty crops sector. This includes crop insurance, conservation, and the climate, nutrition, research, Specialty Crop Block Grants, organics, and trade.

According to a press release, Wingard also put a spotlight on the intersection of the Farm Bill with the realities of production by drawing attention to a recent EPA announcement revoking registration of the herbicide, DCPA, without any available alternatives to growers like him.

“The current implementation of AGI limitations disproportionately prohibits specialty crop producers from participating in certain USDA programs in a meaningful way and potentially inhibits specialty crop producers from participating in disaster programs,” said Wingard. “USDA programs that require a means test for participation should be based on income derived from farming and be flexible enough to account for the variety of structures, accounting methods, and other special considerations for specialty crop producers, not just their AGI.”

For more from Wingard, read the press release in full here.

Stick around as we continue to report on our industry’s advocacy efforts.

International Fresh Produce Association