Congressional hearing highlights strains on specialty crop sector, discusses tailored policy solutions (Farm Progress): Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing focused on the challenges facing specialty crop producers. Lawmakers and industry representatives pointed to gaps in crop insurance, rising input costs, and labor shortages as key threats to growers of fruits, vegetables, and nursery crops. Witnesses warned that existing safety net programs, largely designed for major commodities, often leave specialty producers without adequate protection.
Committee leaders from both parties agreed the sector requires tailored policy solutions, though they differed on the effectiveness of recent federal funding increases. Industry voices called for modernized insurance options, relief from tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, and immigration reforms to stabilize the workforce. State officials added that recent weather extremes, such as Michigan’s devastating spring frost, underscore the urgency of stronger support.
The hearing underscored that without targeted reforms in the upcoming farm bill, specialty crop growers may struggle to remain competitive despite their central role in U.S. food security and consumer health.
EPA proposes options for reallocating biofuel waivers, seeks public input (Reuters): Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put forward a proposal to reallocate biofuel blending obligations that were waived for small refineries under the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) program. The plan offers two main options: requiring large refineries to make up 50% or 100% of the waived volumes. It’s also asking for public comment on other possibilities, like reallocating 25%, 75%, or leaving some waivers unrecovered.
Biofuel producers favor full reallocation to protect demand for renewable fuels like ethanol, arguing that waivers reduce market certainty. On the other hand, refiners warn that forcing them to cover more of those waived gallons will raise their costs.
The issue has been delayed by uncertainty: the EPA only needs to reassign waivers going back to 2023 (because credits older than that have expired). The agency estimates 2.18 billion RINs (Renewable Identification Numbers – the credits associated with blending biofuels) for 2023-2025 will be affected by the waived obligations in need of reallocation.