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Federal Update: Winter 2004
By Bill Sanda
The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act
of 2004
The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-465), legislation
to boost the marketing of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits
and nursery crops to American consumers and international markets, was
signed by President Bush in December 2004. This bill represents the
first major federal funding program for the fresh produce industry and
sets a potentially historic precedent. The bill was sponsored by Representatives
Doug Ose (R-CA) and Cal Dooley (D-CA) in the House, where it was passed
on October 7 and was championed by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in
the Senate.
The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 authorizes $54 million
annually for five years to enhance the competitiveness of each state’s
fresh produce crops. The majority of the funding will come in the form
of block grants through the state departments of agriculture. None of
the millions of dollars earmarked for the produce industry will come
in the form of direct subsidies. Instead, the funding will assist the
produce industry through technical assistance, specialized research
programs, regulation review, education, improved food inspection facilities
and similar initiatives. The bill was cosponsored by 122 members of
Congress representing farmers across the nation who grow more than 250
fresh produce crops ranging from lettuce in California to melons in
Arizona to blueberries in Maine.
This bill was signed into law too late to be included in the 2005
appropriations cycle (federal appropriations are completed a year in
advance of use). Actual funding through the Congressional Appropriations
Committees will first be up for consideration in 2005.
FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act
The $388.4 billion FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which lumps
several annual spending bills together, was signed by President Bush
on December 9, 2004. It is important to note that all discretionary
programs--except for Defense and Homeland Security--were subject to
a .83% (8/10ths of a percent) reduction from current appropriated levels. Items
of note include:
- Farm to Cafeteria, as authorized in the Child Nutrition Act passed
in 2004, was not funded in this round of appropriations;
- The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) was funded at $20
million, and the Senior FMNP was funded at $15 million, a reduction
in funds from last year ($7.9 million less for WIC, $1.7 less for
Senior);
- Attempts to make Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) voluntary and
to exempt confined animal feeding operations from Clean Air Act standards
both failed;
- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) successfully advocated for a study by
the Institute of Medicine on the nutritional value of foods sold in
schools, which will lead to recommendations on nutritional standards
for foods sold in competition with school meals. This measure
was one of several attempts to address competitive foods that did
not make it into the Child Nutrition Act;
- Conservation Security Program received $205 million;
- Value Added Producer Grant Program received $15.5 million;
- The Environmental Quality Incentive Program was allocated $1.0 billion;
- Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) program was funded at
$5.3 billion;
- The federal School Lunch Program got $6.8 billion;
- School Breakfast Program was funded at $1.925 billion;
- Child & Adult Care Food Program received $ 2.059 billion;
- Summer Food Service Program secured $283 million;
- Organic Research Grant Program received $1.9 million
- Organic Production and Marketing Data Initiative received $500,000;
- Agriculture Marketing Service is provided $2 million to fund oversight
of the Organic Standards.
About the Author
 Bill
Sanda, BS, MBA, served as Executive Director and Director of Public
Affairs for the Weston A. Price Foundation. Bill was a partner and co-owner of
The McAdam Group, a lobbying company specializing in elements of education policy,
and was a consultant to Primezyme, Inc., a nutrition and healing clinic. He has
extensive experience in Washington D.C. politics and government, having served
as a professional staff member in the US Senate.
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