Every five years, Congress passes a bundle of legislation, commonly called the “farm bill,” that sets policy for an array of agricultural and food programs. The current farm bill expires on September 30, 2018, and includes “titles” for several agricultural programs benefiting California Almond growers.
Both the House and the Senate have begun holding hearings on the farm bill in preparation for writing the 2018 legislation. Recently, the California Department of Food and Agriculture held listening sessions around the state, from which it will craft recommendations for House and Senate agriculture leadership to benefit California agriculture. Both the Almond Board of California (ABC) and the Almond Alliance of California gave oral comments at the Modesto event.
ABC will monitor the development of the new legislation and provide educational materials to legislators to show how programs such as the Market Access Program and the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops under the trade title have been leveraged to open new markets, address trade barriers and build consumer demand. We can also show how the Environmental Quality Incentives Program under the conservation title has been used by almond growers to upgrade ag motors to comply with stricter air quality standards.
Almond Board will keep you informed as the farm bill takes shape. If you have any questions about the farm bill, please contact Bunnie Ibrahim at bibrahim@almondboard.com.
