On Thursday, the Specialty Crops Security Act of 2024 (S. 4168) was introduced by U.S. Senators Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), which increases funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and ensures specialty crop farmers have a say in how the funding is spent.

According to the press release, this legislation will “increase the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program authorization from $85 to $100 million per year and expand opportunities for specialty crop stakeholders to provide input into how program funding is used by state departments of agriculture.”

Speaking on the value of this act, Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia stated, “The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is one of the few sources of dedicated federal funding for the fresh produce industry. This program can provide our specialty crop growers with opportunities for food safety research, workforce development and water supply innovation. To be effective, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program must be as responsive to growers as possible. Western Growers supports the Specialty Crop Security Act, which will ensure the program can sufficiently meet the needs and priorities of our members.” Western Growers will advocate for S. 4168 to be included in Congress’s reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which is due this September.

In the announcement, Senator Butler commented on the importance of California growers and the need for their voice: “California’s farmers produce nearly half of the country’s specialty crops and they deserve a seat at the table when state departments of agriculture make decisions about how to allocate funding that directly impacts them.”

The full bill text can be found here.