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 spe-
cialty 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 in-
cluding 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 agri-
cultural 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 ac-
count mandatory and discretionary funding combined; 
Whereas specialty crops are not eligible for many of the tra-
ditional 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, pep-
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•HRES 182 IH 
pers, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet corn, certain to-
matoes, 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 vegeta-
bles; 
Whereas the authorities in the Food, Conservation, and En-
ergy 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 addi-
tional 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 Re-
form 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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•HRES 182 IH 
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 in-
creasing; 
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 in-
creased 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 consid-
eration and funding in agriculture generally, but espe-
cially in the farm bill: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) specialty crops are a vital part of agri-
culture in the United States; 
(2) the Committee on Agriculture should pro-
pose funding for programs that support specialty 
crops priorities; and 
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•HRES 182 IH 
(3) legislation should be passed that includes 
funding reflecting specialty crops as a growing and 
important part of United States agriculture. 
Æ 
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