Contents

• Introduction
• U.S. Specialty Crop Production
• Selected Farm Bill Programs
• Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• Specialty Crop Research Initiative
• Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention
• Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops
• Specialty Crop Market News
• Domestic Nutrition Programs
• Household Food Assistance Programs
• Food Distribution Programs
• Child Nutrition Programs
• Commodity Procurement
• Selected Programs Not Restricted to Specialty Crops
• Risk Management Programs
• Export Promotion Programs
• Selected Recent Legislation and Issues for Congress

Summary

The U.S. specialty crop market consists of hundreds of different types of products. Each market has its own set of unique production and marketing conditions. Specialty crops are defined as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture)" (7 U.S.C. §1621). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) 2022 Census of Agriculture, specialty crops were produced on approximately 240,000 farms and had a farm-level market value of $115 billion in annual agricultural products sold.

USDA administers programs either directed toward or benefitting specialty crop production. USDA programs cover areas such as marketing and promotion, plant health, research, export promotion, risk management, commodity procurement, and nutrition. Several USDA specialty crop programs originally were authorized in the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (SCCA; P.L. 108-465). The horticulture title of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 farm bill; P.L. 110-246) featured specialty crop programs that were covered in SCCA. Specialty crops also benefit from programs in the research, trade, commodities, and crop insurance titles in the farm bill. These specialty crop programs were extended and reauthorized in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 farm bill; P.L. 113-79) and Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334). The 2018 farm bill currently is extended until September 30, 2025 (P.L. 118-158, Division D).

Specialty crop programs in the farm bill include the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which is targeted toward marketing and promotion of specialty crops. Other farm bill programs include the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, which provides grants that fund research and extension activities that affect specialty crops. The Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program provides support to conduct early plant pest and disease detection and surveillance. The farm bill also provides funding for export promotion programs such as Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops, which funds projects to address technical barriers to trade for specialty crops. Specialty Crop Market News is a program that disseminates publicly available price and market data on specialty crops.

Specialty crops also receive support in other farm bill programs addressed in the 2014 and 2018 farm bills. These include nutrition assistance programs that support household food assistance through both grocery benefits and USDA food distribution. Other support includes federal crop insurance and disaster assistance programs, such as the Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program and the Tree Assistance Program. Additionally, specialty crops can benefit from export promotion programs, such as the Market Access Program.

Legislation enacted in the 119^th Congress would impact specialty crops. Specifically, P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation law (sometimes referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), increases mandatory spending on many agricultural programs in the farm bill while reducing outlays for nutrition assistance programs. Some provisions in P.L. 119-21 will impact specialty crop programs, including Specialty Crop Block Grants, Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention, and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. Additionally, P.L. 119-21 includes funding and specific provisions that affect specialty crops in federal crop insurance, disaster assistance, export promotion, and nutrition assistance. Some of the provisions adopted in P.L. 119-21 were considered in the farm bill deliberations of the 118^th Congress (e.g., H.R. 8467 and S. 5335).

Other measures proposed by Members in the 119^th Congress would impact specialty crop trade, fruit and vegetable purchases in USDA programs, federal crop insurance, and specialty crop research. Some of these proposals seek to ban citrus imports from China (e.g., H.R. 2084/S. 1042). Other measures would include additional specialty crop varieties in nutrition programs such as the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (e.g., H.R. 1782/S. 813) and the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (e.g., H.R. 2379/S. 1145). Still other proposals seek to create new policies for specialty crop varieties in federal crop insurance (e.g., H.R. 292, H.R. 1613/S. 741, S. 231) or provide funding for specialty crop research (e.g., H.R. 2084/S. 1042).

Introduction

The U.S. specialty crop industry consists of hundreds of different agricultural crops that each have their own set of market conditions. Statute defines specialty crops as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture)."¹ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers a range of programs that support specialty crops. These programs span marketing and promotion, pest and disease management, research, export promotion, disaster assistance, crop insurance, federal commodity procurement, and nutrition.

The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-465) originally authorized several specialty crops programs. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 farm bill; P.L. 110-246) continued several USDA-administered specialty crops programs from the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 and established new ones. The types of support programs in farm bills include grants pertaining to production and marketing, grants for specialty crop research, funding for specialty crop export promotion, crop insurance, and disaster assistance. Specialty crop programs were reauthorized and amended through subsequent farm bills: the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 farm bill; P.L. 113-79) and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334).²

The 118^th Congress considered legislation that would have impacted USDA's specialty crops programs. Farm bills proposed in both the House and Senate (H.R. 8467 and S. 5335) would have reauthorized and expanded existing USDA programs. Such proposals were not enacted. In the 119^th Congress, specialty crop issues have been addressed in hearings related to the farm bill.³ Also, some Members have introduced legislation that would impact USDA's specialty crops programs, and that could be considered during deliberations that may occur about a next farm bill. P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation law (sometimes referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) contains funding increases for USDA specialty crop programs as well as provisions that impact specialty crop producers in crop insurance and disaster programs.

Industry support for programs across all farm bill titles is highlighted in the policy recommendations and legislative priorities promoted by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.⁴ Some of these priorities include disaster assistance, export assistance, nutrition, research, marketing and promotion, pest and disease management, and crop insurance. Most of the industry's priorities were addressed in P.L. 119-21. Some farm groups have expressed concerns regarding provisions in P.L. 119-21 on the grounds that they would prioritize large, wealthy farms over other farmers and rural communities, among other reasons.⁵

This report provides an overview of specialty crop production, its market, and selected USDA support programs included in the two most recent farm bills (2014 and 2018). This report focuses on certain programs that provide support predominantly to specialty crop producers and provides a brief overview of other programs that may also benefit such producers.⁶ This report also discusses selected legislation introduced by Members in the 118^th and 119^th Congresses (as of July 24, 2025) that would have impacted or would impact specialty crops through reauthorization of existing programs, changes to existing programs, or creation of new programs.

U.S. Specialty Crop Production

According to USDA's most recent Census of Agriculture, conducted in 2022, specialty crops are produced nationwide on approximately 240,000 farms. Production spans approximately 15 million acres, yielding an estimated farm-level market value of $115 billion in annual agricultural product sales in 2022 (most recent year available).⁷ For 2022, Table 1 shows the number of farms, the amount of harvested cropland, and the annual farm-level market value (i.e., sales) in billions of dollars for each specialty crop category. The largest categories by number of farms are (1) non-citrus orchards, (2) vegetables, and (3) nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod.⁸

Specialty crops are produced in all 50 states. Figure 1 shows the share of farms in each U.S. County in 2022 that primarily grew specialty crops.

Figure 1. Share of Farms Primarily Growing Specialty Crops, by County, 2022

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture, https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/Charts/109080/CoA-Specialty-Crop-farms.png.

Production for different types of specialty crops varies across states. According to the Census of Agriculture, California was the leading state in 2022 in the categories of (1) fruit, tree nut, and berry sales and (2) vegetable sales. In the same year, other leading states in these categories were Florida and Washington.⁹ In floriculture sales in 2023, Florida was the leading state, followed by California and Michigan. Table 2 shows the top states in fruit, tree nut, and berry sales in 2022; vegetable sales in 2022; and floriculture sales in 2023.

Selected Farm Bill Programs

Specialty crop farm bill programs receive both mandatory and discretionary funding. This report focuses on the mandatory funding for specialty crops provided in the farm bill.¹⁰ USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) provides mandatory funding for most farm bill programs, which is not subject to the annual appropriations process.¹¹ Congress extended the 2018 farm bill through FY2025 (P.L. 118-158, Division D).¹² Table 3 shows FY2025 funding for selected farm bill programs focused on specialty crops.

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Congress authorized the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) in 2004 through the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act (P.L. 108-465).¹³ The program is administered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).¹⁴ SCBGP provides grants to nonfederal departments of agriculture in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.¹⁵ The purpose of these grants is to "enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops."¹⁶ SGBGP funds projects with purposes such as improving food safety, improving the specialty crop distribution chain, developing new crop varieties, mitigating pests and diseases, increasing knowledge of the nutritional benefits of specialty crops, and encouraging sustainability and conservation.¹⁷

Nonfederal departments of agriculture apply for funds using an application that details how they plan to use those funds to benefit specialty crop production.¹⁸ In FY2024, USDA awarded 54 grants to nonfederal departments of agriculture, which in turn funded a total of 524 projects.¹⁹ The total amount of funds awarded was approximately $72.9 million in FY2024.²⁰ Funded projects focus on topics including plant health, production systems, impacts of technology, education, and marketing campaigns. The states with the largest awards for FY2024 were California, Washington, Florida, North Dakota, and Montana. These states accounted for approximately $38.4 million (52.7%) of available funding.

The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79) authorized funds for multistate projects when a project addressed regional- or national-level specialty crop issues through the Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP).²¹ In FY2023, USDA awarded 11 grants for approximately $9.4 million in funds.²² SCMP funds projects that cover areas similar to those covered by SCBGP but requires that at least two partners be located in different states.²³ Some topics for projects included adoption of production techniques for dry-farmed tomatoes in California and Oregon and the impacts of sustainable landscaping equipment in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

SCBGP receives $85 million in annual mandatory funding from CCC.²⁴ USDA may use some of the funds given to SCBGP for multistate SCMP projects.²⁵ The 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) reauthorized SCBGP and added requirements for USDA to enter into cooperative agreements with stakeholders to evaluate the use of grant funds.²⁶

Specialty Crop Research Initiative

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was authorized by the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246) and is administered by USDA's National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA).²⁷ SCRI is a grant program that provides funding for research and extension to address challenges in food and agriculture. USDA states that projects should engage stakeholders, cross different disciplines (e.g., biology and social sciences), and relate to production and the supply chain. USDA's focus areas include improving crop characteristics and technological innovations.²⁸ Grants range from $50,000 to $2,000,000 in total for a project and may last up to 10 years.²⁹

The 2018 farm bill also included funding for the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund (Citrus Disease Trust Fund), which provides funds to the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (ECDREP) and is administered by NIFA.³⁰ ECDREP funds projects that combat citrus greening disease (huanglongbing). Funded projects are to help farmers to produce citrus in a financially sustainable way, implement research developments on the farm, and find solutions to combat and prevent citrus greening.³¹

SCRI receives $80 million in mandatory funding from CCC each fiscal year.³² SCRI is authorized through the 2018 farm bill to receive an additional $100 million in discretionary appropriations each fiscal year.³³ The Citrus Disease Trust Fund was created in the 2018 farm bill and received $25 million in mandatory funding from CCC each fiscal year through FY2024.³⁴

Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention

The Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention (PPDMDP) program was authorized by the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246) and is administered by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).³⁵ PPDMDP funds stakeholder projects related to invasive plant pests and agricultural trade. Stakeholders include federal and state agencies, nonprofits, Tribes, universities, and industry.³⁶ Projects funded through PPDMDP are related to the specific goals of APHIS, which include conducting pest and disease analysis and improving tools for pest identification and detection.³⁷ APHIS states that it has funded "more than 5,890 projects" and provided "nearly $940 million in funding" through PPDMDP from FY2009 to FY2025.³⁸

The National Clean Plant Network (NCPN), part of PPDMDP, was created to be a source of plant propagative material (i.e., cuttings, seeds, buds) free of pathogens and pests.³⁹ The NCPN maintains plant centers at 34 federal facilities and university service centers across the United States to produce and maintain pathogen-free propagative plant material.⁴⁰ Projects in the NCPN focus on specialty crops, such as fruit trees, grapes, hops, berries, citruses, sweet potatoes, and roses. In FY2023, APHIS allocated $7.75 million to projects in the NCPN.⁴¹

PPDMDP receives $75 million in mandatory funds from CCC each fiscal year. Statute requires that at least $5 million of the mandatory CCC funds be used for the NCPN.⁴² The most recent legislative changes to PPDMDP were in the 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79). These changes raised annual mandatory appropriations from CCC to $62.5 million for a four-year period covering FY2014-FY2017 and $75 million for FY2018 and each subsequent fiscal year.⁴³ Additionally, the 2014 farm bill consolidated PPDMDP and the NCPN.⁴⁴

Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops

Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) was first authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 farm bill; P.L. 107-171) and later consolidated with other export promotion programs by the 2018 farm bill.⁴⁵ USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service administers TASC.⁴⁶ TASC is an export assistance program that provides cost-share assistance to address "sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers" that either prohibit or threaten U.S. specialty crop exports.⁴⁷ Activities that are eligible to receive funding include seminars, workshops, and pest and disease research.⁴⁸ Any U.S. organization is eligible if it has a role or an interest in exporting U.S. specialty crops. These organizations include government agencies, trade associations, universities, agricultural cooperatives, and private companies.⁴⁹ Eligible crops include all cultivated plants and their products produced in the United States, except for wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco. TASC grants are for a maximum of $500,000 per year. Projects can last up to five years.

TASC receives $9 million in mandatory CCC funds each fiscal year.⁵⁰ The 2018 farm bill maintained mandatory CCC funding for the program at $9 million per fiscal year from FY2019 to FY2023.⁵¹ TASC authorization and funding was extended twice in one-year extensions for FY2024 and FY2025.⁵²

Specialty Crop Market News

Specialty Crop Market News (SCMN) is a program that disseminates publicly available price and market data on specialty crops. It is authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 and administered by AMS.⁵³ SCMN disseminates information on marketing conditions for "hundreds of agricultural commodities" in domestic and international wholesale markets, production areas, and ports of entry.⁵⁴ It reflects spot market price data, which is the price paid in the physical market. USDA collects the data from sales personnel, suppliers, brokers, and buyers. SCMN reporters "collect, validate, analyze, and organize" data on price, volume, quality, and condition.⁵⁵ USDA states that SCMN has around 50 market reporters at the state and federal level. The program covers 1,453 markets, interviewing over 4,000 buyers and sellers on a weekly basis, and covering over 786 commodities.⁵⁶

SCMN users can access standard reports for wholesale market prices, shipping point prices at prominent locations in the United States and at ports of entry, product movement and shipments, retail prices, and local farmers markets and auction prices.⁵⁷ Additionally, users can create custom reports for specialty crops that include different commodities, locations, and market types (e.g., retail).⁵⁸

The 2018 farm bill reauthorized SCMN.⁵⁹ It is authorized to receive $9 million in annual appropriations through FY2025.⁶⁰

Domestic Nutrition Programs

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers a range of domestic nutrition and food assistance programs aiming to improve food security and nutrition among individuals and families as well as support producers.⁶¹ Some programs focus exclusively on fruits and vegetables, while others focus on a broader range of foods that include fruits and vegetables.

Household Food Assistance Programs

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children provide benefits to low-income households that can be used to purchase fruits and vegetables, though benefits are not for purchasing fruits and vegetables exclusively.⁶² Other programs that provide household assistance include the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and Women, Infants, and Children Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, which provide grants to participating states to offer vouchers/coupons to eligible participants (seniors and low-income households) that may be used at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and other approved venues to purchase fresh produce.⁶³ Additionally, the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program provides grants to fund SNAP nutrition incentives and produce prescription programs.⁶⁴

Food Distribution Programs

Other programs, such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), distribute federally purchased commodities, including fruits and vegetables, to local organizations for ultimate distribution to individuals in need.⁶⁵ In lieu of SNAP benefits, low-income households on Indian reservations or Native American families residing in Oklahoma or in designated areas near Oklahoma may receive a food package of USDA commodities (including fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops) through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).⁶⁶

Child Nutrition Programs

Additionally, some programs provide support for child nutrition that may be used to purchase or provide specialty crops.⁶⁷ These programs include the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program, which subsidize meals served to students in elementary and secondary schools, including free and reduced-price meals.⁶⁸ Such meals are required to include fruit and vegetable components. Additionally, the Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program provide assistance to eligible organizations to serve meals (including fruits and vegetables) in the summer and in child and adult day care settings.⁶⁹ Another child nutrition program is the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides grants to selected low-income elementary schools to serve fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to students during the school day.⁷⁰ Another grant program, the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, funds projects that support agricultural education for children and expand local foods in schools.⁷¹

Commodity Procurement

Some of the above programs, such as TEFAP, CSFP, FDPIR, and child nutrition programs, distribute USDA Foods purchased by AMS in consultation with FNS.⁷² Statute requires that USDA purchase minimum amounts of specialty crops under Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (known as Section 32) annually for distribution to nutrition assistance programs.⁷³ USDA also purchases commodities through CCC and from appropriations for specific nutrition assistance programs. Under USDA's Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, participating entities in certain FNS programs can elect to receive fresh fruit and vegetable commodities through the Department of Defense's supply chain rather than through AMS.⁷⁴

Selected Programs Not Restricted to Specialty Crops

Specialty crop producers can benefit from programs in farm bill provisions that provide support to agricultural producers in general. These programs include risk management programs such as federal crop insurance and disaster assistance. Additionally, specialty crop producers can participate in export promotion programs.

Risk Management Programs

Specialty crop producers may participate in the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP).⁷⁵ FCIP provides insurance coverage for most U.S. agricultural commodities against financial losses caused by adverse conditions in the market and other unavoidable events.⁷⁶ Producers of specialty crops may participate in varying coverage options offered by FCIP, including individual crop insurance programs, Whole-Farm Revenue Protection, and the Micro Farm Program.⁷⁷

Specialty crop producers can also participate in some disaster assistance programs. One of these programs is the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).⁷⁸ NAP provides financial support to producers of crops that cannot receive federal crop insurance. This includes specialty crops such as turfgrass, floriculture, honey, and maple syrup.⁷⁹ NAP helps producers protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields, destroyed crops, or the inability to plant. Another disaster assistance program is the Tree Assistance Program (TAP).⁸⁰ TAP provides financial support to orchardists and nursery tree growers that experience losses caused by natural disasters. TAP helps producers cover the cost of replanting and rehabilitating trees, bushes, and vines that produce annual crops and have been damaged or destroyed. Additionally, some specialty crop producers can participate in Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP).⁸¹ ELAP offers financial assistance to producers of these commodities that suffer losses from adverse conditions that are not covered by other USDA disaster assistance programs. ELAP can be relevant to specialty crops because of the role that bees play in pollination and honey production (honey is considered a specialty crop).

Export Promotion Programs

Specialty crop producers can also participate in general export promotion programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP), the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), and the Emerging Markets Program (EMP).⁸² MAP provides funding to cover a portion of the costs to market and promote U.S. agricultural exports overseas, for activities such as consumer advertising, public relations, market research, and technical assistance.⁸³ FMD, also a cost-share program, provides funds only to nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organizations market U.S. commodities overseas.⁸⁴ EMP, a cost-share program with a focus on "emerging markets," provides funds for technical assistance to U.S. private or government entities with a role or interest in U.S. agricultural export.⁸⁵

Selected Recent Legislation and Issues for Congress⁸⁶

The 119^th Congress is addressing specialty crop support programs impacting marketing and promotion, pest and disease management, commodity assistance, disaster assistance, export assistance, research, and crop insurance. Related legislation has been enacted (P.L. 119-21), and other measures have been introduced, as discussed below. In addition, committees have held related hearings. For instance, the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held hearings related to the agriculture economy in light of the next farm bill.⁸⁷ The specialty crop industry has expressed its farm bill priorities, including changes to commodity assistance programs, disaster assistance, export assistance, nutrition programs, research, marketing and promotion, pest and disease management, and crop insurance.⁸⁸ Some stakeholders have expressed concerns with some of these industry approaches.⁸⁹

P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation law, has many provisions relating to the specialty crops programs discussed above.⁹⁰ Additionally, Congress is considering proposals that would affect specialty crops, some of which were included in the farm bill proposals in the 118^th Congress (H.R. 8467 and S. 5335). P.L. 119-21 increases mandatory funding for SCBGP to $100 million in FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.⁹¹ This mirrors the increase proposed in H.R. 8467 in the 118^th Congress; that bill also would have altered state plan requirements and extended the program to 2029.⁹² P.L. 119-21 increases mandatory funding for PPDMDP to $90 million for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter. These funding levels match the amounts proposed in H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 in the 118^th Congress. Further, the law increases mandatory funding to $175 million for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter for SCRI. Additionally, it extends the Citrus Disease Trust Fund at current funding levels through FY2031.

In FY2026 appropriations deliberations, the House has requested a report on the efforts of the Citrus Disease Trust Fund related to citrus greening research.⁹³ The Senate, in FY2026 appropriations deliberations, has requested that NIFA increase the number of projects related to organic agriculture, "winter growing techniques," and specialty crop mechanization and automation.⁹⁴ Similar provisions and funding amounts were considered in H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 (118^th Congress proposals). A proposal in the 119^th Congress would waive the matching funds requirement for SCRI (H.R. 3656). H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 of the 118^th Congress also would have waived the matching funds requirement for SCRI and allocated funding to specialty crop mechanization research.

P.L. 119-21 created the Supplemental Agricultural Trade Promotion Program with $285 million in mandatory funding beginning in FY2027 and each year thereafter. In earlier action, the House-reported version of H.R. 1 contained provisions that would have extended MAP, TASC, EMP, and FMD through 2031 and increased mandatory funding for MAP and FMD while maintaining funding levels for EMP and TASC.⁹⁵ These provisions were not included in H.R. 1 as enacted. H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 (118^th Congress) would have introduced new reporting requirements on competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop exports impacting TASC.

P.L. 119-21 makes changes to nutrition programs (specifically SNAP and TEFAP).⁹⁶ Some changes to these and other nutrition programs were included in 118^th Congress bills—H.R. 8467 and S. 5335. These changes would have impacted specialty crops.⁹⁷ The law also made changes to specialty crop provisions in federal crop insurance.⁹⁸ Similar provisions and others were considered in H.R. 8467 and S. 5335.⁹⁹

Further, P.L. 119-21 makes changes to adjusted gross income limits to receive payments from disaster assistance programs such as NAP, TAP, and ELAP.¹⁰⁰ It makes changes to mortality rates needed to receive payments for TAP and honey bee mortality rates to receive ELAP payments. Similar changes proposed in legislation in the 119^th Congress (H.R. 2156/S. 984). In the 118^th Congress, H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 considered similar provisions with respect to adjusted gross income and TAP eligibility.¹⁰¹

Members of the 119^th Congress have introduced other legislation with specialty crop provisions that were not included in P.L. 119-21. Certain bills would provide funding for specialty crop research (H.R. 2084/S. 1042). Others would aim to prohibit citrus imports from China (H.R. 1507/S. 947).¹⁰² Some proposals would modify the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program to include legumes and frozen products (e.g., H.R. 1782/S. 813). Two proposals would expand the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program to include tree nuts (H.R. 2379/S. 1145). Additionally, some proposals would impact federal crop insurance offerings for specialty crops (H.R. 292, H.R. 1613/S. 741, S. 231).

Additional provisions directed at specialty crops were part of the farm bills considered by the 118^th Congress and may be of potential interest to the 119^th Congress. H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 would have introduced an interagency group to support fruit and vegetable trade.¹⁰³ In addition, H.R. 8467 and S. 5335 would have extended the authorization of appropriations to SCMN.

Footnotes