Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that specialty crops are a vital part of agriculture in the United States, and that Congress should fund programs that support specialty crops.
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) specialty crops (fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture) are a vital part of agriculture in the United States, and (2) Congress should pass legislation funding programs that support specialty crops.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 346 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 346

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that specialty 
 crops are a vital part of agriculture in the United States, and that 
      Congress should fund programs that support specialty crops.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2017

   Ms. DelBene (for herself, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. 
O'Halleran, Ms. Adams, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Sean 
Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Welch, Mr. Newhouse, and Mr. Panetta) 
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, and that 
      Congress should fund programs that support specialty crops.

Whereas specialty crops are defined in section 3 of the Specialty Crops 
        Competitiveness Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-465; 7 U.S.C. 1621 note) as 
        ``fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and 
        nursery crops (including floriculture)'';
Whereas producers 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 nearly 
        $60,000,000,000, which accounts for about one-fourth of all domestic 
        crop value;
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 
        about $14,000,000,000 as recently as 2013, which accounts for about 10 
        percent of all agricultural exports from the United States;
Whereas approximately 245,000 farms in the United States grow a variety of 
        specialty crops;
Whereas all 50 States have specialty crop production, which is most highly 
        concentrated in California, Florida, Washington, Oregon, North Dakota, 
        and Michigan;
Whereas the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) included unprecedented 
        amounts of funding for vital and critical programs such as the Specialty 
        Crop Block Grant Program, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, and 
        the National Clean Plant Network;
Whereas, pursuant to section 7306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, 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), received mandatory funding for fiscal year 2018 and 
        subsequent fiscal years;
Whereas mandatory funding for the National Clean Plant Network under section 420 
        of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7721) was increased by the 
        Agricultural Act of 2014;
Whereas mandatory funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program under 
        section 420 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7721) was increased by 
        the Agricultural Act of 2014;
Whereas many important agriculture programs did not, however, receive mandatory 
        funding under the Agricultural Act of 2014;
Whereas it is paramount that Congress builds on the progress of the Agricultural 
        Act of 2014 to provide funding for these programs in the next act 
        authorizing agricultural programs for a fiscal year after fiscal year 
        2018, so as to provide certainty to producers across the United States;
Whereas overall spending on specialty crops is a small percentage of all funding 
        for crops, including mandatory and discretionary spending;
Whereas producers of 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, peppers, 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 number of farms producing fruits, berries, and tree nuts in the 
        United States is steadily increasing;
Whereas sales of fruits, berries, and tree nuts in the United States are 
        steadily increasing;
Whereas according to the most recent census data published by the Census of 
        Agriculture in 2012, 106,000 farms produced fruits, tree nuts, and 
        berries with a total value of $25,900,000,000, an increase of 
        $7,300,000,000 in 5 years;
Whereas according to such Census, the value of sales for vegetables, potatoes 
        and melons increased from $14,700,000,000 in 2007 to $16,900,000,000 in 
        2012;
Whereas according to such Census, the value of nursery, greenhouse, and 
        floriculture sales was $14,500,000,000 in 2012;
Whereas it is evident that specialty crops are an increasingly important part of 
        agriculture in the United States; and
Whereas specialty crops deserve their fair share of consideration and funding in 
        agriculture generally, but especially in the annual appropriations 
        process and the next act authorizing agricultural programs for a fiscal 
        year after fiscal year 2018: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) specialty crops are a vital part of agriculture in the 
        United States; and
            (2) Congress should pass legislation funding programs that 
        support specialty crops as a growing and important part of 
        agriculture in the United States.
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