A P R I L 2 0 1 7 8 POTATO GROWER Alliance Plans To Build On Farm Bill Victories Every five years, Congress estab- lishes federal agricultural policy through a new Farm Bill. Over the past decade, the specialty crop industry has become an important Farm Bill player due in large meas- ure to the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, a national coalition of more than 120 organizations seek- ing to improve the health of Americans by broadening the scope of U.S. agricultural public policy. The Alliance, which the National Potato Council co-chairs, repre- sents the broad interests of the specialty crop industry, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and horti- culture products. It was founded prior to the 2008 Farm Bill as a way of providing the industry with a focused message on pro- grams and policies that could enhance the competitiveness of our industry. Due to the Alliance’s efforts, today more than $1 billion in farm bill funds are dedicated to the special- ty crop sector. With a new bill approaching, the Alliance is focused on building upon its record of previous victories for specialty crops. Two major priori- ties of the Alliance are to stimulate consumer demand and increase funding for research. As a found- ing member of the Alliance, NPC is strongly positioned to shape federal agricultural policy that also benefits the potato industry. The current Farm Bill expires at the end of September 2018 and currently a marathon series of Congressional hearings have begun examining all aspects of its operations. To reinforce the importance of the specialty crop programs and set the stage for the upcoming bill, the co-chairs of the Alliance held meetings with key Capitol Hill and industry leaders NPC Mes sage by John Keeling, NPC Executive Vice President and CEO