The Senate Agriculture Committee has passed their version of the 2012 Farm Bill. For Specialty Crops there were some key improvements for specialty crops from the previous Farm Bill.

The Bill includes the following key provisions:

• Specialty Crop Block Grants funded at $70 million per year (increase of $142 million over 10 years)
• Specialty Crop Research Initiative funded at $25 million in FY13; $30 million in FY14-15; $65 million in FY16; $50 million in FY17 (increase of $416 million over 10 years)
• Plant Pest and Disease Program funded at $60 million in FY13-16 and $65 million in FY17 (increase of $109 million over 10 years)
• Market Access Program and Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops fully funded at 2008 Farm Bill levels ($200 million for MAP and $9 million in TASC)
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program fully funded at 2008 Farm Bill levels ($150 million per year)
• Hunger-Free Communities Grant Program for fruit and vegetable SNAP incentives (new funding at $100 million over 5 years)
• Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (new funding at $100 million over 5 years)
• Section 32 specialty crop purchases funded at 2008 Farm Bill levels ($406 million per year baseline)
• DoD Fresh program fully funded at $50 million per year consistent with 2008 levels ($50 million per year)

While this is just the beginning of a long and difficult Farm Bill process, it is extremely important that the Senate Agriculture Committee has established an important marker for specialty crops. The committee heard and supported the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (GFVGA serves on the Steering Committee) call for continuing to build on the foundation that was set in the 2008 Farm Bill.

In total approximately $1 billion in new mandatory funding was targeted to programs that will help specialty crop producers in Georgia and across the country.  This is in addition to the already $3 billion that was invested in the 2008 Farm Bill.

It is unclear when the Senate may take up the Farm Bill on the Senate floor.  Bottom line, the sooner the Senate completes their work on their version of the Farm Bill the more pressure the House will face to act on the Farm Bill.

Should you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact Charles Hall at chall@asginfo.net, or call the GFVGA office at 1-877-99GFVGA.

Committee review and debate will begin on Wednesday, April 25 at 9:00 AM. Listed below are some of the highlights of the Farm Bill proposal that affect our growers; however, there are several key elements yet to be reviewed and analyzed by the Alliance. We will keep you informed as more information is available to be shared.

ACTION ITEM – IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED

GFVGA asks you to make contact (via fax, email or call) with Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), and other US Senators that serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and ask them to support the Specialty Crop provisions that have been included in the committee proposal. A sample letter is below the highlights.

Highlights of the released legislative language for the 2012 Farm Bill:

Block Grants:

• $70 million per year which expands the baseline by $15 million per year
• Base grants for all states goes up from $183,000 to $233,000
• The new distribution formula includes both value and acres for the remaining funding (approx $53 million).
• Multi-State grants are included with ramps up from $1 million in FY13 to $5 million FY17.

Pest and Disease:

• $60 million FY13-16 ($10 million increase)
• $65 million FY 17 (15 million increase)
• Combines Clean Plant Network with pest and disease, language clearly carves out under 10201.

Specialty Crop Research Initiative:

• $25 million FY13; $30 million FY14 and FY15; $65 million FY16 and $50 million for FY17 and establishes permanent baseline
• Have tied SCRI to requiring “consultation” with NAREE Specialty Crop Committee.
• A 10% waiver or matching waiver was not included

Trade:

• MAP fully funded $200 million
• TASC fully funded $9 million

Nutrition:

• Fully funds Fruit and Vegetable Fresh Snack program ($150 million per year)

SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR SENATOR

(Please reprint adding your personal information and put on your company or individual letterhead)

Dear Senator ___________________________ :

I live in ______city, state________ and __(include info on your farm/business -’ I grow ___ acres of product’ or ‘I supply seeds to our vegetable growers, etc’ I appreciate the support and leadership you have provided to our fruit and vegetable growers over the years.

Under your leadership (this is true with Chambliss – may not be with other senators -edit accordingly) our industry made significant progress in the 2008 Farm Bill on policy affecting specialty crops. The 2008 Farm Bill was a landmark in how the federal government addresses the crops that account for nearly half the total farm gate value in this country.

As you, and your other Senate Agriculture Committee colleagues, begin debate this week on the provisions of the 2012 Farm Bill, it is critical to maintain the historic specialty crop program achievements started in the 2008 Farm Bill. I am very pleased the preliminary 2012 language released by the Agriculture Committee late last week included increased funding for Block Grants, providing base line funding for the SCRI, increased funding for the pest and disease prevention agencies, such as APHIS and full funding of the fresh fruit and vegetable snack program. These programs are critical to helping maintain a competitive specialty crop industry.

Thank you again for all of your hard work and dedicated support of our specialty crop industry.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, for which Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association serves on the steering Committee, signed the letter along with more than 80 other organizations with interests in the Farm Bill. The letter stated that a new comprehensive bill would increase the effectiveness of the safety net for farmers, protect natural resources, help prevent hunger, create jobs and spur investments in agricultural research.

“There’s been quite a bit of talk on Capitol Hill and in the agriculture community in recent months about the possibility of doing some kind of extension of the current Farm Bill this year and then doing a comprehensive rewrite next year,” said Robert Guenther, Secretariat of the Alliance and Senior Vice president of Public Policy at United Fresh. “The outlook for available revenue to fund Farm Bill programs is not going to get better with time and folks throughout our industry who are impacted by the Farm Bill do not need the uncertainty that would be created by kicking the can down the road. We feel it’s in the fresh produce industry’s best interest for Congress to act sooner rather than later.”

The full letter can be read here. For more information, please contact GFVGA Office at 1-877-99GFVGA.

Over the last several months the Chairs and Ranking Members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees crafted a proposal that would save $23 billion dollars in Farm Bill expenditures over the next 10 years.  The concept was to offer up cuts the Agriculture Committees felt would be appropriate rather than leave this in the hands of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to dictate the programs and amounts to be cut.  Most agricultural organizations supported this concept, rather than take a chance on more drastic cuts from the Joint Deficit Committee. 

For the Specialty Crop Industry, the Ag Committee proposal was actually an increase for some programs.  Under the Ag Committee proposal the Specialty Crop Block Grant program would be increased from $55 million per year to $70 million per year with provisions for multi-state grants. In addition the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was recommended to continue funding at $40 million per year.  Under the 2007 Farm Bill the SCRI was funded for only five years and without an extension in the new Farm Bill the program will be eliminated. 

Dick Minor, President of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, said, “We were very pleased to see the Ag Committees leadership take this pro-active position as it relates to agricultural program funding and protecting as much as possible during the ‘deficit reduction program hunt’.  We were extremely happy with the increases in the key programs that are very important to Georgia producers like the Block Grants and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.”

Unfortunately all of the hard work by the Ag Committee congressional leadership and other organizations were not rewarded when the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to do their job.  On November 21, the Joint Committee announced they could not reach an agreement on the $1 Trillion dollars in cuts it was charged with recommending.  With the Joint Committee’s failure to reach agreement, the Ag Committee’s recommendations will not be carried forward.  It appears each committee will begin Farm Bill hearings in early 2012 and a normal process will be followed. 

Rep. Frank Lucas, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement in response to the announcement that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has failed to reach an agreement.

“House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders developed a bipartisan, bicameral proposal for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that would save $23 billion. However, the Joint Select Committee’s failure to reach a deal on an overall deficit reduction package effectively ends this effort. We are pleased we were able to work in a bipartisan way with committee members and agriculture stakeholders to generate sound ideas to cut spending by tens of billions while maintaining key priorities to grow the country’s agriculture economy. We will continue the process of reauthorizing the farm bill in the coming months, and will do so with the same bipartisan spirit that has historically defined the work of our committees.”

For more information contact the GFVGA office at 1-877-99GFVGA or chall@asginfo.net. 

To all Georgia Growers and Agribusinesses,

As you know the Georgia House of Representatives has passed House Bill 87 (Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011).  The fight is now in the Senate!!

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 40 out of committee last week and we expect it to be on the floor of the Senate for debate as early as Monday of next week.  This weekend is the time to contact your legislators. 

We have been told we have made progress with the Senate leadership and some are asking us to reach out to all Senators.  Our request to you is two-fold,

1. Contact your Senator and let them know your concern from the talking points below,
2. Call or send an email to at least five other Senate Republicans, particularly those north of Macon, expressing your concern over S B 40 and how it will affect the economy in your county.    There are bullet points below to work from. 

If you do not know how to contact your legislator go to:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php?state_id=GA&dist=&go2.x=5&go2.y=8

For a list of all of the Senators:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=GA&criteria=upper

Talking points for a call or email:

1. Thank the Senator for their service to Georgia, and tell them where you are from and what you grow and/or company operations.
2. Recommend a Study Commission be appointed to look the immigrant labor situation and see what e-verify will do to Georgia’s economy before the legislature throws Georgia’s economy in another tailspin because workers are not available.  Ask them to sit back and take a year to study the impact on Georgia with input from the various industries that are putting people to work. 
3. From a state revenue perspective, all W-2 laborers pay Georgia Income Tax.  This could have an economic impact on budget revenues to the state.     
4. Express concern over the use of the Federal E-verify program because,
   1. Additional cost to do business – training of your employee(s) – manual is 82 pages long.
   2. Concern over economic impact in your community – farms, restaurants, hotels, and other small businesses. 
   3. There are not domestic workers available to do farm work.  It is hot, hard and difficult.
   4. The workers you hire have the proper documentation required under Federal law to work on your farm and you have a completed I-9 for all of them.    
5. The cost of enforcing this legislation will be passed on to local city and county governments.   Kentucky prepared a fiscal impact statement showing that an AZ-type immigration law would cost that state a net $40 million a year in new costs for local jails, state prisons, the foster-care system, the administrative offices of the courts and public defenders.  It is estimated the number of undocumented workers in is 455,000 as compared to Kentucky at 50,000.  That $40 million could be $360 million for Georgia. 

1. Many legislators counter that agriculture has H2A available if there is a worker shortage.  H2A is available but there is a 60 day lead time for a petition for workers, advertising, housing and transportation requirements.  These regulations do not allow for a quick response to a worker shortage. 
2. Additional talking points for your consideration: http://aghost.net/images/e0191701/Reasons_to_avoid_an_Everify_mandate.pdf  

ACTION REQUESTED!!

Please contact your Senator and at least five other Republican Senators by phone or email this weekend. 

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions – 1-706-845-8200.

Charles Hall,
Executive Director,
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

As you may be aware, two bills have been introduced in the Georgia legislature dealing with immigration and undocumented workers. Both bills would require all Georgia companies with more than 5 employees to use the Federal E-verify program when hiring new W-2 employees, including seasonal workers. There are also other provisions in the bills imposing potential fines and criminal charges on the employer, even when the employee may have I-9 documents.

House Bill 87 (Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011),

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108553.pdf  passed in the Georgia State House of Representatives, Thursday, March 3, 2011 by a vote of 113-56.

Senate Bill 40, http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/108979.pdf ,  has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is currently moving to a vote by the Senate in the near future. A number of organizations, including GFVGA, are working with members of the Senate to make changes but nothing has been finalized yet.

The GFVGA website is one of many places for up to date information as this issue is constantly changing. In addition to GFVGA, please check out the following websites for more information.
Georgia Agribusiness Council’s Inside Agriculture e-newsletter:
http://www.ga-agribusiness.org/index.cfm?show=10&mid=26  

Georgia Farm Bureau’s Legislative Report:
http://www.gfb.org/legislative/session.html

To reiterate, GFVGA is concerned because:

• E-verify adds another beaucratic layer for companies to do business in Georgia. To use e-verify someone in your office has to be trained and registered to use this federal internet based system. The instruction manual for e-verify is only 82 pages long. For companies with HR departments this may not be a problem but for a small business this is an additional burden.

• Some of the provisions in the legislation could charge a business owner with fines or criminal charges even if their employee has proper I-9 documents.

• The cost of enforcing this legislation will be passed on to local city and county governments. Kentucky prepared a fiscal impact statement showing that an AZ-type immigration law would cost that state a net $40 million a year in new costs for local jails, state prisons, the foster-care system, the administrative offices of the courts and public defenders. This sum does not include additional police personnel costs. Authorities estimate the number of undocumented workers in Georgia is 455,000 as compared to Kentucky at 50,000. That $40 million could be $360 million for Georgia.

• Many legislators counter that agriculture has H2A available if there is a worker shortage. H2A is available but there is a 60 day lead time for a petition for workers, advertising, housing and transportation requirements. These regulations do not allow for a quick response to a worker shortage.

ACTION REQUESTED!!

Even with the passage of House Bill 87, we still need your help and involvement. Please make contact with your elected officials concerning these two bills. No matter what your thoughts are on these issues, GFVGA urges you to express your opinions to your legislators. They want to hear from you.

If you do not know how to contact your legislator go to:

http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php?state_id=GA&dist=&go2.x=5&go2.y=8

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions – 1-706-845-8200.
Charles Hall,
Executive Director,
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association