Bridge Payments and Specialty Crops

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. The Farm Bridge Assistance Program, announced recently by the USDA to offer relief to farmers impacted by certain market disruptions, brings most of the $12 billion to those growing row crops like corn, wheat and soybeans.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA) says farmers like him try to help his colleagues understand that specialty crops are also important …

NEWHOUSE … “And I think through that communication, what we’re trying to emphasize, in fact I speak with the Trade Representative, Jamison Greer as much as I can to emphasize the importance of market access, providing certainty to our producers that the export markets are absolutely essential, particularly for many of the crops that we raise in Washington state.”

And federal aid programs, Newhouse says are a last resort …

NEWHOUSE … “These are things that certainly, most farmers I talk to are appreciative of the programs, such as the Bridge Assistance Program, but our preference is to have available markets that we can legitimately produce and sell our crops and not just wait for a program like this that helps bail us out.”

But specialty crops, Newhouse says are important too …

NEWHOUSE … “They’re called “minor” crops in some peoples, I want people to understand, these are not minor in importance. They are very important to many economies throughout the country.”

$1 billion of the $12 billion Farm Bridge assistant dollars are for crops other than row crops.