National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says there is “a lot to like” in House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson’s Farm Bill text, but significant work remains. Quarles credited Thompson and his staff for moving the process forward, noting Congress is now three years past the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill. At the same time, Quarles cautioned that the $1 billion in USDA specialty crop bridge assistance will fall well short of the sector’s needs. “The Trump administration has done this before in delivering disaster relief for specialty crops,” said Quarles. “They just need to reload those with new resources in partnership with Congress and get these family farms in a much better economic position.” Quarles said potato growers will be in Washington in the coming weeks for the council’s annual Washington Summit, with roughly 140 producers scheduled to meet with lawmakers, federal agencies and administration officials.
