Organic and Small Farms Getting Support from Senate

A bipartisan group of senators wants more money spent on specialty crops, like organic vegetables, fruit orchards and small family farm operations. They sent a letter to Senate leaders requesting a doubling of the $1.6 billion allocated for these farms in the House version of the annual farm bill, which shapes national agricultural policy and subsidies for about five years.

Specialty crops include the nation's fruits, vegetables, potatoes and nuts. They account for nearly half of all cash crop receipts in America. The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, a national coalition of more than 120 specialty crop organizations representing 350 specialty crops, is lobbying for these policies:

• Expansion of the USDA Fruit & Vegetable Snack Program to all 50 states. The program and others involving healthy foods and community projects help develop life-long health through consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Greater investment in research to improve the taste and quality of foods
• Expansion of the "State Specialty Crop Competitiveness" projects to all 50 states based on a proven track record of delivering results for specific local needs
• Enhanced critical trade assistance and market promotion tools that will grow international markets for specialty crops
• Investment in prevention and mitigation protocols to combat invasive pest and diseases, which cost the economy millions of dollars per year
• Expansion and improvement of conservation programs to allow producers of specialty crops increased access to conservation assistance

These are the senators that signed the letter:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)\ Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-ID) Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-DE) Sen. John Warner (R-VA) Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-ME) Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) Sen. Joe R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-OR)

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