This bill adds a new Title V to the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004. It creates a Seasonal and Perishable Crop Loss Program that would begin in marketing year 2027. Under the program, the Secretary of Agriculture would make annual payments to eligible producers in a defined geographic region when two conditions are met: the national average market price during the seasonal marketing window (the effective price) is lower than a reference price, and the Secretary determines the price drop or crop loss was caused by imports. The payment equals the difference between the reference price and the effective price multiplied by the producer's previous three-year average production for the same seasonal marketing window. The bill defines eligible crops (fresh or chilled specialty crops listed by HS2020 tariff codes, sold raw, and marketed within eight weeks after harvest) and sets income eligibility limits (average adjusted gross income under $5,000,000 over three years, or at least 75% of income from farming, ranching, or forestry).
If you are a producer of covered seasonal and perishable specialty crops and meet the income rules, you could get payments starting in marketing year 2027 if the Secretary finds that imports caused your crop's effective price to fall below its reference price. Payments are calculated using your three-year average production for the same seasonal window and the price gap between the reference and effective prices. The program only covers crops that are fresh or chilled, marketed raw, and normally sold within eight weeks after harvest. The Secretary of Agriculture will run the program and make the required determinations.
No publicly available information on total program costs, funding sources, or budget offsets is included in the bill text. The bill specifies how individual payments are calculated but does not state overall cost estimates or appropriations.
No publicly available information on proponents’ arguments or statements is included in the bill text or provided metadata.
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