We solicited information and feedback on northeast (twelve states) specialty crop industry members' views and preferences with respect to the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill. Several aspects of federal support for specialty crop producers were considered. This information was used to gauge responsiveness to a wide set of policy options and possible directions for titles that might be incorporated into the next farm bill.
Methods used included a survey of specialty crops organizatins and listening sessions.
A study was conducted to examine the potential benefits of establishing government subsidized farm savings accounts for specialty crop growers. (In the survey and listening sessions, it was determined that specialty crops interests in the northeast were in favor of alternatives such as subsidized counter cyclical, tax deferred savings accounts.) The primary goal of this component of the project was to determine whether farm savings accounts would provide specialty crop growers with a useful tool for managing financial risk. The project examined how various features of the farm savings account proposals ultimately impacted the benefits that specialty crop growers would receive from the accounts.
In a third component of the project, our research assessed distribution of the specialty crops production in the urbanizing areas in the Northeast and the U.S., in order to answer the questions such as "Does specialty crops production still thrive in the metro areas?" or "Does farming persist in the city's shadow?"

A research issue that is important regionally to other specialty crop producing states is federal agricultural policy. In the past, the farm bill had little emphasis or impact on specialty crops. (Our definition of specialty crops included fruit, vegetables, floriculture, nursery, turf, maple syrup, Christmas trees, aquaculture, honey, and mushrooms.) Can federal policy be directed to maintain or improve specialty crop competitiveness and responsiveness to changing market conditions and societal issues?
Another aspect of specialty crops that is important to the Northeast is that, if specialty crops thrive in metro counties, as has been shown in past research, then a thriving specialty crops sector will lead to a more viable agriculture in the Northeast, which has just 7 percent of the land in the 48 contiguous states but account for 21 percent of the nation`s 2005 population (62.3 million)
A thriving specialty crops sector in the Northeast can promote economic development, and at the same time, improve nutrition (through increased consumption of fruit and vegetables).
Furthermore, the densely populated Northeast provides expanding markets for green industries` products (greenhouse, nursery, sod production, etc.)

In phase I of the specialty crops project, we solicited information and feedback on specialty crop industry members' views and preferences with respect to the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill. Several aspects of federal support for specialty crop producers are considered. This information was used to gauge responsiveness to a wide set of policy options and possible directions for titles that might be incorporated into the next farm bill. The geographic focus of this report encompassed the Northeastern US, defined to include 12 states: CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, and WV.
A policy analysis was conducted to examine the potential benefits of establishing government subsidized farm savings accounts for specialty crop growers. The primary goal of this component of the project was to determine whether farm savings accounts would provide specialty crop growers with a useful tool for managing financial risk. The project examined how various features of the farm savings account proposals ultimately impacted the benefits that specialty crop growers would receive from the accounts.
In a third component of our project, we examined the importance of specialty crops in metropolitan areas, which predominate in the Northeast region. In seeking better understanding of high-value agricultural production in metropolitan areas, this phase of our research assessed distribution of the specialty crops production in the urbanizing areas in the U.S. in order to answer the questions such as "Does specialty crops production still thrive in the metro areas?" or "Does farming persist in the city's shadow?"

Our research showed that 63 percent of the vegetables, 66 percent of the fruit, and 83 percent of nursery/greenhouse production in the Northeast occurs in Metro counties. Policy makers at the federal level (e. g. the House Agriculture Committee and congressional staffers) now have a better understanding of the importance of specialty crops in metropolitan areas, and how specialty crops agriculture can contribute to economic development in highly populated regions such as the Northeast.
Agricultural interests in the Northeast have information about what agricultural, and especially specialty crops interests, want to see in the next Farm Bill. They also know through our research, what other regions in the US have similar interests, and can use this information to form coalitions with other commodity groups in other regions to insure that the competitiveness of specialty crops will be addressed in the next Farm Bill.

The California Institute for Specialty Crops (CISSC), at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

• Nelson Bills (Applied Economics and Management)
• Brent Gloy (Applied Economics and Management)
• Wen-fei Uva (Applied Economics and Management)
• Mei-Luan Cheng (Applied Economics and Management)