[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Tillis):
  S. 2704. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to establish 
an exception to certain payment limitations in the case of person or 
legal entity that derives income from agriculture, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Fair Access to 
Agriculture Disaster Programs Act of 2023. This legislation would allow 
specialty crop producers to access critical disaster relief programs at 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  Increasingly frequent and catastrophic floods, fires, freezes, and 
other disasters are threatening the long-term sustainability of 
agriculture across the country.
  The impact has been particularly acute for California's agricultural 
communities, who face year-round threats from drought, heat, floods, 
and fires.
  To ensure producers can get back on their feet following natural 
disasters, the farm bill authorizes a number of safety net programs. 
But these programs simply don't work for specialty crop producers, who, 
despite facing the same challenges posed by extreme weather as other 
growers, are excluded from meaningful participation in USDA disaster 
programs based on the application of outdated adjusted gross income, 
AGI, limitations.
  As a result, producers from California to Florida are excluded from 
accessing critical disaster programs.
  The Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act would codify 
flexibility used in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to waive 
the AGI limitation for producers that derive 75 percent of their income 
from farming, ranching, or related farming practices.
  What are referred to as specialty crops are just that--special. 
Specialty crops, which include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried 
fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, are cultivated for food, 
medicine, and aesthetic purposes, requiring overall higher inputs and 
specialized processes for planting, growing, and harvesting.
  Did you know that it costs more than $30,000 to produce an acre of 
strawberries? The cost of production for specialty crops is typically 
thousands of dollars per acre.
  As a result, both large and small producers of specialty crops end up 
exceeding the AGI limitations put in place to means-test critical 
disaster assistance.
  That is why we need to pass the Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster 
Programs Act to ensure farmers and ranchers can access agricultural 
safety net programs in the wake of increasingly more frequent and 
catastrophic disasters.
  I would like to thank Senator Tillis for joining me to introduce this 
bill, as well as Congressman Panetta for championing this bill in the 
House.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Fair Access 
to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act as quickly as possible.
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