Big Grower July 2022 - 15

Management
natural disasters led Congress in four of the past five years to
enact " ad-hoc " assistance programs, including WHIP+ and the
new Emergency Relief Program, to supplement existing USDA
assistance. While vital for those eligible, often growers waited
years for Congress to act before assistance arrived. Broadening
flexibility and eligibility for programs like the Noninsured
Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for uninsured crops and
the Tree Assistance Program would reduce dependence on new
programs after extraordinary events, saving taxpayer dollars and
accelerating recovery.
GROW A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
All farmers know our success depends on good stewardship
of the land and its resources. In nursery and floriculture, our
unique produce also contributes to quality air, water, and soil
while making the landscape beautiful. Nonetheless, voters and
consumers expect all industries to become more sustainable
and environmentally friendly. The Farm Bill presents an
opportunity to promote innovative incentives for sustainability,
including new revenue streams for farmers such as carbon credit
marketing. Changing consumer expectations and the specter
of new government regulation on production methods pose a
challenge, however. If you need to dramatically change your mix of
inputs - water, fertilizer, crop protectants - could you maintain
productivity and profitability, or would you require cost-share
assistance? Anticipating changes in climate, consumer preferences
and regulation, with the right mix of voluntary incentive-based
financial assistance, is a key challenge and opportunity in the
next Farm Bill.
LEVERAGE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
THROUGH RESEARCH
The Farm Bill authorizes programs to promote research, as well
strength in the marketplace, dynamism presents a challenge
when working within the often too rigid requirements of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) farm programs.
Federal risk management programs, like crop insurance, work
best for farmers planting homogenous crops with annual harvest
cycles (i.e., corn and soybeans), but underserve specialty growers.
In two successive Farm Bills, AmericanHort secured better tools
to manage financial exposure to disease outbreaks and natural
disasters, including the Nursery Value Select Program launched in
2020 and new greenhouse coverage for diseases currently under
development. While more responsive to perils faced in nursery and
floriculture production, enhancing flexibility and affordability in
the current suite of crop insurance policies is a top priority. Our
sector is not alone - despite thousands of crops eligible for USDA
insurance, compared to other crops, specialty growers are underinsured
because available policies make less financial sense. If
coverage is too expensive or doesn't pay when disaster strikes,
what's the point?
Under-insurance means growers lean more on programs
designed for catastrophic disaster relief. However, many such
programs too need improvement. The severity and frequency of
as the cultivation, marketing, and consumption of specialty crops,
including nursery and floriculture crops. Two key programs that
AmericanHort advocates for include the Specialty Crop Block Grant
(SCBG), for which the 2018 Farm Bill set aside $85 million annually,
and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative SCRI, which receives
$100 million annually under the most recent law.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) was created
to provide much-needed federal assistance to the specialty crop
industry through grants to state departments of agriculture to
enhance the competitiveness of these crops. SCBGP funds can
support an array of projects, such as locally and regionally focused
specialty crop research or promotion.
Funding aside, the 2018 Farm Bill made some minor but
important changes to the program, one being the addition of
language requiring periodic evaluation and performance measures
for the states and projects funded through the program. Flexibility
in the program is key, but accountability is also important. The bill
also made permanent the $5 million in annual mandatory funding
for the Specialty Crop Multi-State subprogram (SCMP).
SCBGP has been supporting horticulture industry projects since
2006 when it was first created. These funds have supported state
partners' projects, including:
* Educating and marketing the green industry in Arizona
* Plant Something marketing program in New Jersey
* Research related to protecting pollinators in ornamental plant
production in North Carolina
* Mitigation practices in stopping the spread of pests in Oregon.
JULY 2022 15

Big Grower July 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Grower July 2022

Big Grower July 2022 - Cover1
Big Grower July 2022 - Cover2
Big Grower July 2022 - 1
Big Grower July 2022 - 2
Big Grower July 2022 - 3
Big Grower July 2022 - 4
Big Grower July 2022 - 5
Big Grower July 2022 - 6
Big Grower July 2022 - 7
Big Grower July 2022 - 8
Big Grower July 2022 - 9
Big Grower July 2022 - 10
Big Grower July 2022 - 11
Big Grower July 2022 - 12
Big Grower July 2022 - 13
Big Grower July 2022 - 14
Big Grower July 2022 - 15
Big Grower July 2022 - 16
Big Grower July 2022 - 17
Big Grower July 2022 - 18
Big Grower July 2022 - 19
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2024-guide-to-cannabis-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/new-varieties-digital-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2023-guide-to-hemp-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2023-guide-to-cannabis-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/gpn-new-varieties-digital-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/californiaspringtrials-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/californiaspringtrials-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/undercontrol-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2019
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