For the most part, Central Coast farmers aren’t really affected by the recent passage of the $500 billion 2014 Farm Bill, which Congress wrestled over for almost three years before passing it earlier this month. President Barack Obama signed it into law on Feb. 7.
The bill does include more funding for specialty crops—fruits, nuts, and vegetables—than it has in the past.
That funding comes in the form of $375 million for Specialty Crop Block Grants over the five-year life of the farm bill; $55 million allocated annually to the Specialty Crop Research Initiative; $325 million over five years to prevent the spread of diseases and pests; and $200 million for the Market Access Program, which is aimed at developing foreign markets.
Richard Quandt with the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties said most people in the industry view the extra funding as a positive development, especially given the pressure growers are feeling to manage pesticide and runoff even more efficiently than they already are.
“More funds are available for research on things like irrigation and nutrient management,” Quandt said. But he added, “The farm bill isn’t as important for local growers as it is for commodity growers in the Midwest.”
Commodity crops include things like cheese, milk, corn, and soybeans. Quandt said commodity crops generally benefit from the price supports offered in the farm bill—government subsidies, price controls, and crop guarantees.
“But we don’t have that here,” Quandt said. “The farmers operate here in a free market; it’s supply and demand.”
The recently passed farm bill will cut $23 billion from its budget over the next 10 years. Part of those savings will come from an end to direct payments to farmers, which subsidizes farmers in need to the tune of $5 billion a year. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps, is going to be trimmed by 1 percent or $8 billion over the next decade.
This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2014.