This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was sending almost $4 million to Florida in block grants even as U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is calling for more funds to help citrus in the Sunshine State.
The USDA is sending more than $3.8 million to Florida through its Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP).
“With this grant, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers,” the USDA noted. “Through the SCBGP, the FDACS will fund 20 projects. Among FDACS’s projects, is funding to the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation to increase sales of Florida radishes by educating consumers about recipes and health benefits as well as conducting outreach through sampling in retail stores and a farm tour for South Florida chefs. Additional funded projects focus in areas such as pest tolerance and management, use of drone and artificial technology for yield forecasting, and research.”
The funds are part of almost $73 million headed to the states from the 2018 Farm Bill.
“The SCBGP funding supports farmers growing specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops. USDA’s support will strengthen U.S. specialty crop production and markets, ensuring an abundant, affordable supply of highly nutritious fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops, which are vital to the health and well-being of all Americans,” the USDA noted.
“USDA is excited to announce that this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant awards marks over $1 billion invested in nearly 12,000 projects that support the U.S. specialty crop industry,” said U.S. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack. “The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is a critical piece of USDA and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to support small and mid-sized producers and ensure Americans have sustained access to fresh, locally grown specialty crop products.”
“With this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, Florida is investing in innovative projects that will help address the needs of specialty crop producers within the region,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The funded projects will also further USDA’s efforts to ensure U.S. specialty crop products remain competitive in markets across the nation and abroad.”
That’s not enough for Scott, who has advocated for reforming block grants
At the end of January, Scott and U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., brought out the “Block Grant Assistance Act,” with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., co-sponsoring it.
“This bill will provide the Agriculture Secretary needed authority to provide block grants to the state of Florida to assist producers affected by the two hurricanes,” Franklin’s office noted.
“The Florida citrus industry is synonymous with the Sunshine State and the backbone of many of our rural communities,” said Franklin when he introduced it. “Between an extreme hurricane season and ongoing issues such as citrus greening, our resilient citrus growers continue to navigate significant challenges. It’s critical that we provide immediate support so Americans can continue to enjoy the staples our domestic citrus industry provides.”
“The loss and devastation caused by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole has forever changed communities across our state and the lives of so many Florida families and businesses,” said Scott. “Folks in the Sunshine State are still picking up the pieces, and I’ve continued to work closely with USDA, FEMA and SBA to ensure they remain a top priority during this time of recovery. As we work to get the citrus and agriculture community back on their feet, I won’t stop fighting to make sure that the federal government keeps showing up. Our Block Grant Assistance Act is a step in the right direction to ensure Florida’s agriculture industry gets the help they need.”
“A Florida citrus comeback cannot be waylaid by hurricanes and greening, so I’m proud to help ensure that our U.S. Department of Agriculture has the back of growers and processors as they rebuild, replant and revive the harvests that fuel America’s breakfast table,” said Wasserman Schultz.
Since the end of January, two dozen other House members, all from Florida, lined up behind the bill which also has the support of some leaders of Florida’s agriculture community, including Florida Citrus Mutual, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
This week, Scott penned a piece which appeared at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on the proposal.
“When disaster strikes, Floridians expect their government to show up. Families in our state aren’t looking for a handout, they are hoping to recover. But since Hurricanes Ian and Nicole wreaked havoc on Southwest Florida last fall, politicians in Washington and the Biden administration have left our Florida families and businesses, and especially our citrus industry, without needed assistance,” Scott wrote. “Even now, the Biden administration wants to tie the funding FEMA needs to respond to future storms to completely unrelated issues, like Ukraine aid. Floridians, and especially our citrus growers, don’t deserve to be used as a political pawn. I’ve been fighting since these storms to get our families and growers what they need.
“As governor of Florida, I oversaw recovery from multiple devastating hurricanes,” Scott continued. “We were able to support the recovery of Florida’s citrus groves with the help of a Block Grant program funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).”
Scott noted that Franklin was able to get his bill through the House back in June on a voice vote but it has stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“As it stands now, the USDA has abandoned Florida citrus growers, leaving them with no other option but to sell their land to developers and forever shrinking Florida’s farmland,” Scott wrote.
“If the USDA believes it does not have the authority needed to fulfill their mission of ‘protect[ing] the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources,’ they should ask my colleagues in Congress to support the Block Grant Assistance Act and allow the state to distribute disaster aid to growers. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has decided to abandon the Florida citrus industry.
“The Florida citrus industry, like all Floridians, pay federal taxes. When disaster strikes, our citrus growers and all Floridians deserve a federal government which has our back. Unfortunately, that is not happening. We all must stand up and demand that the Senate passes my Block Grant Assistance Act,” Scott wrote in conclusion. “We cannot wait for action any longer.”
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