Proposal has Shuler, farmers discussing crop issues

Henderson County apple growers and U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler recently addressed proposals contained in the proposed farm bill.

Specialty crops, which include fruits and vegetables, are addressed in USDA proposed funding this year. The Bush administration proposes boosting federal spending on fruits and vegetables and help in marketing the crops overseas.

The congressional fight over subsidy payments concerns the five main commodity crops that receive the majority of subsidy payments. Crop disaster funding, such as aid the apple growers in Henderson County will receive this year because of the Easter freeze, is not part of subsidy payments.

Fruit and vegetable growers, not only in Western North Carolina, but throughout the United States, are tired of five commodity crops in the country receiving funding in the national Farm Bill, Shuler said. Those five crops are corn, cotton, rice, soybeans and wheat.

"This is an important issue," Shuler said. "All of the top-five commodity crops have lobbying groups and power behind them. Our specialty growers need to be involved."

Specialty crops include fruit, vegetables and nursery and greenhouse production, the agricultural crops grown in Western North Carolina. These crops are traditionally not included in the Farm Bill.

"Ninety-three percent of every dollar goes to those five commodity crops," said farmer and apple grower Kenny Barnwell. "Yet, 51 percent of the agricultural income in the United States is from specialty crops."

The proposed farm bill would target nearly $5 billion in funding to support specialty crop producers by increasing nutrition in food assistance programs, including school meals, through the purchase of fruits and vegetables, and funding specialty crop research.

Of the $5 billion, $400 million would be dedicated to trade efforts to expand exports, fight trade barriers and increase involvement in world trade standard-setting bodies.

Food imported into the United States does not have to meet safety and environmental guidelines that farmers here must meet. This has been an issue with apple growers, who make no profit on juice apples and get little profit from processing apples since China began exporting apples to the United States.

"We put the requirements on our own farmers, but not on other countries," Shuler said.

Most juice apples and processing apples, which go into canned products, are now bought from China. Of concern are the pesticides and fungicides that China uses to control insects and diseases, crop protectorants that American apple growers are not allowed to use. Of concern also are fertilizers, with reports of human waste being used in China.

"We are currently importing stuff with very low standards," Shuler said.

Today, more than half of all imported apple concentrate comes from China. The only way the American consumer is assured of buying apple juice made from American apples is to buy juice labeled "not from concentrate."