Posted February 11, 2014
Christmas tree and organic growers have found helpful
provisions in the newly enacted farm bill, which took over two years of debate
and negotiations to be approved by Congress, according to a Capital Press
article available here.
Christmas tree growers experiencing slow sales and competition
from artificial trees sought to establish a program to pay for media marketing
and cross-promotional campaigns. While
the USDA was set to approve the program, in November 2011, the Heritage
Foundation portrayed the fee as the Obama administration’s “tax” on
Christmas. As a result, the program was
tabled.
“It had nothing to do the Obama administration at all,”
said Bryan Ostlund, of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association. “It blew up in the press like none of us had
ever seen before and probably never will again.
It was something to behold.”
When the farm bill began moving through Congress, U.S.
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), lead the move to include the Christmas tree
assessment in the farm bill approved by the House of Representatives. Oregon leads the nation in Christmas tree
production with about 6.4 million harvested annually and sales valued at $110
million.
Organic growers have also found relief in the new farm
bill in funding for research and funding to enforce organic standards,
according to an article by the Oregonian available here. Organic farmers will also find improved crop
insurance benefits.
For more information on farm bills and crop insurance,
please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here and here.
