All areas of agriculture are hoping to get a larger piece of Farm Bill funding but some lawmakers say the pecan industry is being overlooked.
In a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, several lawmakers, including Senator Roger Marshall, said they have concerns about trade funding for pecans, saying USDA instead favors almond, walnut, and pistachio industries. They claim the industry only saw a million dollars in funding through the Regional Ag Promotion Program, while other nut groups got significantly more.
Lawmakers say the U.S. produces 80 percent of the world’s pecans, while only exporting around 30 percent.
