Kat Cammack Asks Agriculture Producer About Successes From USDA's IR-4 Project

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During a House Agriculture Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) questioned Terranova Ranch Inc. Vice President Don Cameron about the USDA IR-4 project.

Transcript

00:00Nice. The gentle lady from Florida, Congresswoman Kamek for five minutes.

00:06Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to our witnesses for being with us today.

00:11I really do appreciate the commentary that has been put forth today. It is a vital topic as

00:18the lone representative for the entire state of Florida, being a very large ag state and

00:25production state. It's critical. So thank you. I'll start with you, Mr. Cameron. As you stated in

00:31your testimony, IR4 is a key resource for our specialty crop producers. And as so many of you

00:37know, Florida is home to 300 specialty crops. So something that is near and dear to our hearts.

00:42Can you share with us some of the breakthrough innovations over the last few years that that

00:47has enabled? I apologize. I don't have specific results for you. But I do know that this has

00:56been a very successful program. We haven't had to deal at our location with products that have

01:03gone through the IR4 process. Although we are dealing what I take that back. We are running

01:08tests currently with to the IR4 program for a pesticide that is used in some of the other

01:17commodity crops that we're trying on processing tomatoes. We want to see if there's if there's

01:23a fit, seeing if we can control thrips early season so that we can get control where we usually don't

01:32have products that fit that that need. So it is getting to the farm. Maybe some other farms, possibly

01:40more, but we're always looking for new solutions. Well, and I know you've touched on this a little bit

01:46today, Mr. Cameron, but talk a little bit about the role that Congress can can play explicitly just

01:52so folks back home can really understand the role that we here can have in making sure that our

01:57producers, particularly as it relates to specialty crops, have access to safe and effective crop

02:03protection options. And you can talk through regulatory reform, research investments, or other means.

02:10But really for the folks back home, what is the most important thing Congress can be doing?

02:16Well, I think many times specialty crops get left out of the mix. We know that preach.

02:22Thank you. Amen.

02:26No, we realize that, let's face it, the commodity crops that have millions of acres,

02:33it's a bigger market gets more attention. In California, we have crops that you may only have

02:39100 acres, 200 acres in very small specific crops that are being grown. And they're totally uncovered.

02:47They don't have the crop protection chemicals because nobody has pursued the label. That makes it very

02:54difficult to grow crops similar to, you know, very small plots when you compare it to the rest of the

03:01nation. So we always do need like an IR4 program. We need section 18, section 24, where we have local special,

03:11local needs that we can actually bring certain products into those situations. But many times,

03:19it takes a long time to develop those. It's emergency situations, even for larger minor crops. So

03:26any help we could get, either in funding for research to where we can develop a label for some of these

03:34minor crops. I mentioned earlier my neighbor, Planet Agave, low water use. We'll see how that works out. But

03:43absolutely no products can legally be used on that crop for crop protection. So anything you can do for

03:52funding to get into the IR4 program, you know, the FAR program to where we can actually see results in

03:59the field in growers hands is invaluable. Okay. I appreciate that, Mr. Cameron. I'm going to go to

04:06you, Mr. Weatherby. As you know, the Asian citrus fly has decimated our citrus growers in Florida,

04:14really, and across the country. Have you performed any research on whether a sterile insect technique could be

04:21applicable in combating citrus greening? It's a little tougher mechanism of action, unfortunately.

04:28It could help. You start to suppress the amount of insects that are available to link up to the

04:34orange, and then you can decrease greening. So it's a bigger problem. And so it's one of those where it

04:40would require research. It's also, we know it's important, but it's also a specialty crop where,

04:46you know, the return on investment is really tough. And so that's part of it is funding that would go

04:52into a lot of that research for new technologies just hasn't been there. It has been in some cases,

04:58but this is where over the years, like I said, the delays that it would take to get it, even if it was

05:04emergency use, would be really tough to get something new into that industry very quickly.

05:09Well, I think you're making the case as to why the research dollars are so critically important. And

05:16of course, we're very proud of the fact that the Farm Bill includes another five years worth of funding

05:21to combat citrus greening, because you can't have Florida without oranges, right? So thank you. My

05:28time has expired, Mr. Chairman. I yield.

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