Newhouse Introduces Legislation to Support Central Washington Agriculture Research

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced legislation to reinstate the waiver authority for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative’s matching requirement, as well as include appropriate waiver language authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirements for specialty crop research programs.

“The Specialty Crop Research Initiative is critical in enabling Central Washington farmers to supply the world with cherries, apples, wine, hops and many other specialty crops,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Universities and commodity groups representing Washington agriculture are eager to pursue world-class specialty crop research that provides our farmers with a competitive edge, but provisions left out of the 2018 Farm Bill left SCRI recipients at a disadvantage. I am proud to work as a Member of the Appropriations Committee to include this language to give certainty to these institutions as they compete for federal grant funding and continue their groundbreaking research at facilities throughout Washington and the United States.”

“This simple but important solution will help us better serve the agricultural industry in Washington and help support one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world,” said Wendy Powers, Dean of the College of Agricultural Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. “WSU is grateful for Congressman Newhouse’s continued leadership ensuring land grant institutions like ours can support the specialty crop industry in the State of Washington. As a farmer and a WSU alumnus, Rep. Newhouse understands the impact our research has in supporting more than 300 different crops across the state.”

“Securing funding for specialty crop research like the incredible work being done at Washington State University has long been a priority for me,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). “Research coming out of Eastern Washington helps inform regional and national practices on crop inputs, pest threats, harvesting technologies, and food safety issues. My hope is this legislation will help Washington’s agriculture industry stay competitive in the global marketplace and ensure our farmers have the resources they need to keep putting food on kitchen tables across the country.”

Background:

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) is a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant pest and disease prevention research program targeting fruits and vegetables. SCRI has historically been one of the most subscribed of all of USDA research programs. The 2018 Farm Bill inadvertently left out language allowing the Secretary of USDA to waive the match requirement within SCRI for projects considered to be of significant value to agriculture stakeholders. This waiver language was maintained for other research programs, leaving SCRI as the only program where the Secretary does not have this waiver authority. The absence of Secretarial discretion to waive matching funds placed many projects in jeopardy and created confusion for stakeholders.

This legislation reinstates the waiver authority for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative’s matching requirement.