The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) this week endorsed legislation that addresses three priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill.

SCFBA is a national coalition of more than 200 specialty crop organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products.

The three points supported by the coalition are:

• The Growing Access to Environmental Sustainability Act, which expands specialty crop grower access to conservation programs.
• The Specialty Crop Support Act of 2023, which extends and enhances the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
• The Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, which expands the eligibility of tree, bush and vine growers for the Tree Assistance Program and modernizes the program.

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The organization advocates for the needs of specialty crop growers in the Farm Bill, seeking to enhance their overall competitiveness in the face of increasing global competition and regulatory and buyer demands. 

It is led by Co-Chairs Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, with Robert Guenther, Chief Public Policy Officer for the International Fresh Produce Association, who serves as secretariat for the Alliance.

“Building on critical policy ideas introduced in several marker bills last month, the SCFBA is pleased to see additional coalition recommendations take shape in the form of real legislative language,” the SCFBA co-chairs said in a joint statement.

Specialty crop production, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery and greenhouse commodities, accounts for $64.7 billion in farm gate value and 30% of farm cash receipts for crops.