Monday, January 28, 2008

Specialty Crops in the News

Brownfield Farm Broadcaster and former co-worker of mine Tom Steever had a great specialty crop story on the web recently that I wanted pass along.

Specialty crop growers are pleased about their enhanced standing in the farm bill, but like other commodity growers, they think it’s time that it was completed.

“We really share pretty much the same interest that most of the commodity groups do at this point, and that’s ‘get this deal done,’” said John Keeling, the CEO of National Potato Council who co-chairs the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, which is making an effort to have the voices of the country’s specialty crop producers heard during debate of the 2007 farm bill.

Specialty crops make up about 45 percent of the country’s farm gate receipts and producers of those crops should have a say in U.S. farm policy, said Keeling, adding that that’s what has happened in the 2007 farm bill.

Read the full story and here at interview with Keeling on Brownfield.

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