James W. Miller, undersecretary for farm and agricultural services of the USDA, told Senate clerk Dolores Bermudes that although the gross farm sales in the CNMI do not exceed the $142,000 threshold, the definition of a “limited resource farmer” which will warrant the exception to the service fees does not apply.
“The change in the definition of “limited resource farmer” as requested by a resolution adopted by the CNMI Senate was also denied. While the CNMI and Guam gross farm sales do not exceed the $142,000 per year in each of the last two years, total household income is not below the national poverty level for a family of four ($22,050) so the definition of “limited resource farmers” does not apply,” Miller wrote in his letter.
He said this rule is consistent with what the USDA implements among farmers throughout the U.S.
“This is consistent with the established definition of ‘limited resource farmer’ used by multiple agencies at the USDA and ensures that all producers are treated equally and equitably regardless of geographic location,” he added.
Last December, the CNMI Senate adopted the resolution urging the U.S. Congress to consider amending the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to help small farm producers in the Western Pacific Region.
That law raised the fees from $100 to $250 per crop per county and $300 to $750 per producer per county. The maximum total fee per producer rose to $1,875 from $900.
The resolution urged the USDA secretary to exercise his discretionary power to waive the service fees for farmers in the Marianas taking into consideration the definition of a “limited resource farmer.”
Miller said the USDA reviewed the resolution and came up with the conclusion that the waiver of fees could not be applied to the islands.
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