Wilson-Cosponsored Effort Strengthens Market Access for New Mexico Specialty Crops
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today supported reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which passed the House 231-191, and welcomed important provisions for New Mexico specialty crop farmers, which she cosponsored.
Wilson’s cosponsorship of the bipartisan H.R. 1600, the Equitable Agriculture Today (EAT) for a Healthy America Act, helped the effort to leverage key provisions, such as global competitiveness and research, for specialty crops in the House-passed Farm Bill.
“These specialty crops are among the nation’s most nutritious food sources,” Wilson said. “The EAT Healthy provisions help our New Mexico specialty crop farmers have access to more markets.”
Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits and nursery products. They are significant to American agriculture, adding up to nearly 50 percent of total cash receipts.
Key New Mexico specialty crops include pecans and chiles.
The omnibus farm bill is traditionally reauthorized every 5 years and contains a wide range of programs including price supports for agricultural commodities, and federal subsidies for: farmers’ income, farm credit, agricultural conservation, research, rural development, and foreign food aid, among others; many of these programs are set to expire in 2007.
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