Northwest Specialty Crop Growers Will Benefit From Farm Bill 2.0

While it’s a long way from the finish line, Farm Bill 2.0 took an important initial step earlier this month when the House Ag Committee voted to approve the legislation.

Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse sits on the Ag Committee, and he said it’s key for farmers and growers that an updated Farm Bill be approved.  He added this updated legislation has a host of wins for local growers, especially specialty crop growers.  He said Farm Bill 2.0, also known as the Skinny Farm Bill, contains over $1 billion worth of support in the areas of research, market access, and crop insurance.

"In the market access area, the two programs of the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, we essentially have doubled the amount of funds going into those programs, which has really been official over the years to specialty crop producers moving what we produce into foreign markets," Newhouse said.  "And so that'll be long-term a big boon to the industry.”

When it comes to the topic of research, Newhouse said it’s important that R&D allows specialty crop growers to stay on the cutting edge.

"That's what keeps us competitive. And we've been able to include increases in that category," Newhouse said.  "So, I’m very happy about that. I think there's a lot of things that we can point to that are positive for specialty crop growers.”

Newhouse added he’s encouraged that legislation cleared the House Ag Committee on a bipartisan vote, which he says bodes well for debate in the full House.

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