Page 93 - Farm Bill Series_The 7 Things You Should Know

behalf of the crop insurance industry and persuaded his members to stay engaged in the
coalition. “We just need to keep learning and building coalitions.”

Specialty crops expand the map
Commodity and the crop insurance industry leaders also worked to expand their reach (and their
influence map) by working with the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance – a national coalition of
more than 120 organizations. U.S. farmers grow more than 350 types of fruit, vegetable, tree nut,
flower, nursery and other horticultural crops – primarily in parts of the country that have not
historically been involved with the farm bill, pointed out the Congressional Research Service in
a report on specialty crop issues in the 2014 farm bill.

CRS noted that many programs supporting specialty crops were established in the “Specialty
Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004” (a non-farm bill year) and further expanded and
reauthorized within the 2008 farm bill. The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance was working to
further expand programs and funding as they worked on the farm bill in 2012 and 2013. Among
other things, the Alliance wanted more support for research, pest and disease prevention, organic
crops, state block grants, child nutrition and trade.

Crop insurance was not high on their “wish list,” in part because of a bad experience with
watermelons dating back to 1999.
“Support was lukewarm at best,” recalls a former Senate staff member.

In 1999, USDA’s Risk Management Agency created a pilot plan designed to insure fall-planted
watermelons in seven Southern states – even though evidence existed that the crop would not
grow, according to an Inspector General's report.

www.Agri-Pulse.com 91