Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, this bipartisan amendment, which I've introduced with my friend, Mr. Wittman from Virginia, is a budget neutral amendment. It does not change any authorized level of spending. It very simply adds shellfish farming to the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act programs, the block grants and the crop research initiative, which is again, I think, a reasonable addition given the history of the block grants and the research initiative program prior to 2004.

Again, I want to just emphasize at the outset what we're talking about here is shellfish farming. We are not talking about fishing. Shellfish farming is a cultivated process from seed which in many instances starts offshore and proceeds to harvest in beds just adjacent to a coast. It actually goes back into antiquity in terms of the process and the farming technique that surrounds shellfish farming.

Again, prior to 2004, the specialty crop programs were administered through the USDA to States, and States had discretion to determine specialty crop programs which they wanted to fund. In some instances, shellfish farming was included along with fruit and nuts and other forms of specialty crops.

In 2004, Congress changed the program and gave specific definitions which take away that discretion to States in terms of the block grants program. And the block grants in many instances provide marketing assistance.

Shellfish farming--oysters, clams, mussels--is a growing industry. In fact, for people who have become exposed to it, it is considered a very high quality industry in terms of U.S. shellfish that actually provides opportunities for export growth around the world. And what this amendment will do is to give that growing area of aquaculture an opportunity to expand and grow. It affects the Pacific coast, gulf coast and the eastern coast.

Again, this is a cost neutral amendment to extend very important marketing assistance and research assistance to a part of American agriculture, which clearly aquaculture is. Again, this is cultivated growing of food, unlike fishing. And I think for the hardworking men and women who get up every single day, just like dairy farmers or people who pick apples or other forms of specialty crops who pay taxes, they should be allowed to have access to this program, a competitive grant program, which they would have to demonstrate their eligibility for.

With that, I would reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Again, first of all, I just want to salute the great work the chairman of the committee has done. It has been magnificent to see regular order in this Congress.

Secondly, I would just point out that the 2004 specialty crop law was amended in the last farm bill in 2008 to add horticulture. So again, what was done in 2004 is hardly a sacred text. We have the ability to, again with good reason and evidence, to amend this law. And again, I think given the history of it pre-2004, this is not an unreasonable change.

To help make that point, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), for such time as he may consume.

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