New legislation provides significant funding increases for plant pest management, speciality crop grants, and research initiatives, alongside favourable tax breaks for producers
The US Apple Association has welcomed the signing of Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and praised in particular its programme funding and tax breaks for agriculture.
In a statement, the association’s president and CEO Jim Bair commended Glenn Thompson, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, and John Boozman, chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, for their work in securing those advantages.
“We thank chairmen Thompson and Boozman and their teams for prioritising critical investments in specialty crops,” Bair commented.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a win for apple growers,” he continued. “USApple and our specialty crop allies advocated tirelessly for key programmes, including research and export promotion efforts, which received increased funding. USApple also supported tax provisions such as estate tax relief and bonus depreciation.”
Enacted on 4 July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act represents a sweeping budget reconciliation law that combines major tax cuts and spending reforms across dozens of sectors.
According to the US Congress website, horticultural programmes that will receive increased annual funding for 2026-2035 as a result of the bill include:
- Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program – increased to US$90mn, from US$75mn
- Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – increased to US$100mn, from US$85mn
- Specialty Crop Research Initiative – increased to US$175mn, from US$80mn
The bill also creates a new Supplemental Agricultural Trade Promotion Program, which from 2027 onwards is set to provide US$285mn in support of all agricultural export commodities.
