IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 182 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that specialty crops 

are a vital part of agriculture in the United States, that the Committee 

on Agriculture should propose funding for programs that support specialty crops priorities, and that legislation should be passed that includes 

funding reflecting specialty crops as a growing and important part of 

United States agriculture. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 25, 2013 

Ms. DELBENE (for herself, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. 

HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, 

Ms. KUSTER, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GARAMENDI, and Mr. 

REICHERT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Agriculture 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

specialty crops are a vital part of agriculture in the 

United States, that the Committee on Agriculture should 

propose funding for programs that support specialty 

crops priorities, and that legislation should be passed 

that includes funding reflecting specialty crops as a 

growing and important part of United States agriculture. 

Whereas specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, 

tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops including floriculture; 


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•HRES 182 IH 

Whereas farmers in the United States grow more than 350 

types of fruit, vegetable, tree nut, flower, nursery, and 

other horticultural crops; 

Whereas the yearly value of specialty crop production totals 

more than $50,000,000,000 which accounts for about 

half of all domestic crop value; 

Whereas specialty crops represent more than 1⁄3 of the value 

of United States crop production in a given year; 

Whereas sales of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables 

total nearly $100,000,000,000 annually; 

Whereas combined exports of specialty crops grown in the 

United States totaled nearly $15,900,000,000 as recently 

as 2010, which accounts for about 15 percent of all agricultural exports from the United States; 

Whereas there are about 248,000 farms that grow a variety 

of specialty crops, and every single State has at least 

some specialty crop production; 

Whereas overall spending on specialty crops remains a small 

percentage of all funding for crops, even taking into account mandatory and discretionary funding combined; 

Whereas specialty crops are not eligible for many of the traditional support programs that benefit producers of other 

crops; 

Whereas programs that support specialty crops are generally 

available to all crops, while the opposite is true of specific 

commodity crops; 

Whereas fruits and vegetables like red raspberries, almonds, 

apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, beans, blueberries, 

citrus, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapes, macadamia 

nuts, nectarines, onions, papayas, peaches, pecans, pepVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:21 Apr 25, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR182.IH HR182

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•HRES 182 IH 

pers, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet corn, certain tomatoes, walnuts, asparagus, beets, strawberries, broccoli, 

and carrots are just a few of the hundreds of specialty 

crops grown in the United States; 

Whereas specialty crops are a driving force in promoting a 

healthier country and are part of a healthy, balanced diet 

that can help consumers reach recommended dietary 

goals, which call for half of plates to be fruits and vegetables; 

Whereas the authorities in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8701 et seq.) that expired on 

September 30, 2012, were extended under the American 

Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–240) until 

September 30, 2013; 

Whereas many agriculture programs did not receive any additional mandatory funding under that extension; 

Whereas a vital program for specialty crops, the specialty 

crop research initiative, established under section 412 of 

the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632), did not receive any 

additional mandatory funding under that extension; 

Whereas a vital program for specialty crops, the national 

clean plant network, established under section 10202 of 

the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 

U.S.C. 7761), did not receive any additional mandatory 

funding under that extension; 

Whereas it is paramount that the House of Representatives 

passes a new 5-year farm bill to reauthorize agriculture 

programs without funding in fiscal year 2013, to provide 

funding for such programs in fiscal year 2014 and fiscal 


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years thereafter, and to provide certainty to farmers 

across the United States; 

Whereas the number of farms producing and sales of fruits, 

berries, and tree nuts in the United States is steadily increasing; 

Whereas according to the most recent census data published 

by the Census of Agriculture in 2007, 112,690 farms 

produced fruits, tree nuts, and berries with a total value 

of $18,600,000,000, an increase of $4,900,000,000 in 5 

years; 

Whereas the Census shows an increase in the value of sales 

for vegetables, potatoes and melons from 

$12,800,000,000 in 2002 to $14,700,000,000 in 2007, 

an increase of 15 percent; 

Whereas nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod sales increased 13 percent from 2002 and 2007, from 

$14,700,000,000 to $16,600,000,000; 

Whereas it is evident that specialty crops are an increasingly 

important part of agriculture in the United States; and 

Whereas specialty crops should get their fair share of consideration and funding in agriculture generally, but especially in the farm bill: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) specialty crops are a vital part of agri4 culture in the United States; 

5 (2) the Committee on Agriculture should pro6 pose funding for programs that support specialty 

7 crops priorities; and 


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1 (3) legislation should be passed that includes 

2 funding reflecting specialty crops as a growing and 

3 important part of United States agriculture. 

Æ 


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