Congress 109 - HR 3562 - Specialty Crop and Value-Added Agriculture Promotion Act

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Topics

Administrative procedure Agribusiness Agricultural cooperatives Agricultural subsidies Agriculture and Food Agriculture in foreign trade Aquaculture Authorization Block grants Commerce Congress Congressional investigations Congressional reporting requirements Crop insurance Department of Agriculture Economics and Public Finance Education Elementary and secondary education Executive reorganization Exports Farm produce Farmers Federal officials Finance and Financial Sector Fisheries Fishery products Flowers Foreign Trade and International Finance Fruit Government Operations and Politics Government publicity Governmental investigations Grants-in-aid Horticulture Insurance premiums International Affairs Law Marine and coastal resources, fisheries Marketing of farm produce Nontariff trade barriers Nuts Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Organic farming Produce trade Quality control Quality of products School lunch program Shellfish Social Welfare Standards Tariff Trade agreements Vegetables

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Summary

Specialty Crop and Value-Added Agriculture Promotion Act - Amends the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to include within the definition of specialty crop: (1) farm-raised or wild-harvested fish and shellfish; and (2) organically produced specialty crops.

Makes the authorization of appropriations for state specialty crop block grants permanent.

Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to replace the agricultural marketing resource center pilot project with a state block grant program for value-added agricultural product market development.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an incentive program for third-party certification of agricultural producers and processors for quality and production practices that increase agricultural commodity marketability or value. Provides for up 50% reimbursement of participant certification costs.

Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out the adjusted gross revenue insurance pilot program as a permanent program. Authorizes the Corporation to: (1) expand the program to cover any county in which crops are produced; and (2) grant temporary policy subsidies for producers located in a county that has a high level of specialty crop production and has not had a high level of crop insurance coverage coverage.

Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary to: (1) make available to students in not more than 100 schools in each state, and in elementary and secondary schools on one Indian reservation, free fresh and dried fruits and vegetables throughout the school day in one or more school-designated areas; and (2) give priority to states that produce large quantities of specialty crops.

Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to increase operating loan limits for loans guaranteed other than by the Secretary. Revises the related inflation percentage determination.

Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish the position of Assistant United States Trade Representative for Specialty Crops.

Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to increase the authorization of appropriations for specialty crop technical assistance.

Actions

Oct 12, 2005

Referred to the Subcommittee on Education Reform.
Aug 4, 2005

Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Jul 28, 2005

Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jul 28, 2005

Introduced in House

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