Agricultural organisations in the United States have urged Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to farmers and ranchers, citing sustained pressure from high input costs and low market prices. The call was made through a joint letter led by the American Farm Bureau Federation and supported by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance and other sector groups.
According to the letter, recent cost and price dynamics have resulted in negative farm margins and contributed to nearly US$100 billion in losses nationwide. The organisations stated that the situation is affecting both field crops and specialty crops and has implications for farm viability and rural economies.
© American Farm Bureau Federation
The letter highlighted ongoing losses within the specialty crop sector, which includes fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, greenhouse production, and floriculture. The signatories called on lawmakers to combine longer-term demand-focused policies with short-term financial relief. "In addition to continuing to pursue federal policies to increase long-term domestic demand for U.S agricultural commodities, we urge Congress to provide immediate economic support to fill in the gap of remaining losses for both field and specialty crop farmers," the letter stated.
Specialty crops generate more than US$75 billion per year in U.S. agricultural cash receipts and account for more than one-third of total U.S. crop sales. Despite this, the organisations pointed to an imbalance in current support frameworks. Under the existing USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance programme, US$11 billion is allocated to row crops, while US$1 billion is earmarked for specialty crops and other commodities. Details related to eligibility, payment formulas, and disbursement timelines have not yet been finalised.
The co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance said that future aid packages should better reflect the economic role of specialty crops. They suggested that allocating one-third of agricultural relief funding to specialty crop producers through mechanisms such as CFAP-2 or MASC would better align support levels with sector output.
The letter follows a separate initiative from the Congressional Specialty Crop Caucus in December, which also called for timely and proportionate financial relief for specialty crop producers.
The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance is co-chaired by representatives from the International Fresh Produce Association, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Western Growers, and the National Potato Council.
For more information:
Christina Morton
Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
Email: [email protected]
www.wga.com
Sarah Gonzalez
International Fresh Produce Association
Email: [email protected]
Mark Szymanski
National Potato Council
Email: [email protected]
Ann Donahue
Western Growers
Email: [email protected]
