The North American Blueberry Council thanked the Senate Agriculture Committee and Chairman John Boozman for "the advancement of a new farm bill that supports the U.S. specialty crops industry."

The NABC is addressing John Boozman's Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry budget reconciliation bill that he promises "will rein in runaway spending in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while promoting fiscal responsibility and investing in rural America and America’s farm families."

Kasey Cronquist, the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) President, said the organization is especially grateful for the bills' funding of key programs that support the blueberry industry and other specialty crops, including the Tree Assistance Program, crop insurance, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and trade promotion funding.

"These investments are essential to maintaining the long-term viability and global competitiveness of American-grown blueberries," Cronquist said. 

“However," he added, "budget reconciliation rules prevent this bill from addressing many of the policy updates needed for the specialty crop industry. A complete farm bill is necessary to enact needed policy reforms, without which American family farms will remain at a disadvantage compared to foreign competitors operating with significantly lower production costs."

The organization said the NABC remains committed to working closely with Chairman Boozman, Chairman Thompson, and members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to ensure the specialty crop industry is fully supported across all legislative efforts.