[MPWG] Fwd: Specialty Crop Committee to Host Public Meeting - Oct. 1-Oct.2-Oct. 1 and at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, Renaissance Washington Downtown (D.C.)

[De Angelis, Patricia]

Sorry for the late notice on this public meeting but it may be of interest
if you are in the DC-area because medicinal plants are considered specialty
crops.

You must register to attend the meeting (see the USDA press release below)
and public comments will be accepted at the close of the meeting each day
as well as in writing if postmarked by October 17 2014.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
The Specialty Crop Committee provides advice to the Secretary of
Agriculture through the National Agricultural Research, Extension,
Education, and Economics Advisory Board about top priorities and policies
for food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics.

GRANT PROGRAMS: There are at least two grant programs for specialty crops:

The SPECIALTY CROP GRANT PROGRAM is in the Farm Bill and is administered by
the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service. "The Specialty Crop Block Grant
Program provides block grants to the State departments of agriculture
within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Guam, American Samoa,
United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
The purpose of the grant program is to solely enhance the competitiveness
of specialty crops, which are
defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture,
nursery crops, including floriculture."
[http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/scbgp]

The SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE is administered by the USDA-National
Institute of Food and Agriculture.
"The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was established to solve
critical industry issues through
research and extension activities. SCRI gives priority to projects that are
multistate, multi‐
institutional, or trans‐disciplinary; and include explicit mechanisms to
communicate results to
producers and the public. Projects must address at least one of five focus
areas: research in plant
breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop characteristics; efforts
to identify and address
threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop
pollinators; efforts to improve
production efficiency, productivity, and profitability over the long term;
new innovations and
technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or
inhibit ripening; and
methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food
safety hazards in the
production and processing of specialty crops." [
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5088245]

USDA DEFINITION OF SPECIALTY CROPS:
Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C.
1621 note) and amended under section 10010 of the Agricultural Act of 2014,
Public Law 113-79
<http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=specialty+crop+block+grants&f=treesort&fq=true&num=0&hl=true&edition=prelim&granuleId=USC-prelim-title7-section1621>
(the
Farm Bill) defines specialty crops as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts,
dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).”
Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food,
medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered
specialty crops. Processed products shall consist of greater than 50% of
the specialty crop by weight, exclusive of added water. [
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateJ&navID=WhatareSpecialtyCrops?&rightNav1=WhatareSpecialtyCrops?&topNav=&leftNav=&page=SCBGPDefinitions&resultType=&acct=fvgrntprg
]

ELIGIBLE CROPS:  Eligible Medicinal plants include, but are not limited to:

Artemisia
Marshmallow
Arum
Mullein
Astragalus
Passion flower
Boldo
Patchouli
Cananga
Pennyroyal
Comfrey
Pokeweed
Coneflower
St. John’s wort
Fenugreek
Senna
Feverfew
Skullcap
Foxglove
Sonchus
Ginkgo biloba
Sorrel
Ginseng
Stevia
Goat’s rue
Tansy
Goldenseal
Urtica
Gypsywort
Witch hazel
Horehound
Wood betony
Horsetail
Wormwood
Lavender
Yarrow
Liquorice
Yerba buena

[USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service;
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/SCBGPdefinitions]

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist, US Fish & Wildlife Service-Division of Scientific Authority
Chair, Plant Conservation Alliance-Medicinal Plant Working Group

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: USDA Office of Communications <usda at public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2014 at 3:02 PM
Subject: Specialty Crop Committee to Host Public Meeting


  Release No. 0210.14  Contact:  Michele Esch (202) 720-8408     Specialty
Crop Committee to Host Public Meeting

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2014 – The Specialty Crop Committee will meet on Oct.
1 and 2 in Washington, DC, to provide consultation to the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) on the relevancy review process
for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI).

The Committee will also discuss their strategy for providing advice and
recommendations on the overall scope and effectiveness of research,
extension, and economics programs affecting the specialty crops industry.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at noon on Oct. 1 and
at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, at the Renaissance Washington Downtown Hotel at 999
Ninth St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

The Specialty Crop Committee was established by the Specialty Crops
Competitiveness Act of 2004 as a permanent subcommittee of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board
to study the scope and effectiveness of research, extension, and economics
programs affecting the specialty crops industry. The Agricultural Act of
2014 further expanded the duties of the Specialty Crop Committee to consult
with NIFA on the establishment of a relevancy review process for the SCRI.

All Specialty Crop Committee meetings are open to the public.

Attendees must register by contacting Shirley Morgan-Jordan at
shirley.morgan at ars.usda.gov or call (202) 720-3684. A draft agenda will be
sent upon request. At the end of each meeting day, the floor will be open
for public comment, or interested individuals may provide written comment
for the public record postmarked by October 17, 2014.

For additional information, please contact Michele Esch, Executive
Director, REE Advisory Board Office, Room 332A, Whitten Building, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20250-0321, Telephone: 202-720-3684, Fax: 202-720-6199, or e-mail:
michele.esch at usda.gov.

#

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1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)
795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
  You can view this Press Release as a webpage at:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2014/09/0210.xml&contentidonly=true
#


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