# American Seasonal and Perishable Crop Support Act

This bill creates a new government payment program to help farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables when cheap imports drive down their prices. Starting in 2024, if a farmer grows crops like lettuce, tomatoes, berries, or other fresh produce that spoils quickly, they can sign up for payments when market prices drop below what they normally receive.

Here's how it works: The government will compare the current year's market price for a crop against the average price from the previous three years. If prices fall below that historical average and the government determines that imports caused the price drop, eligible farmers get paid the difference. The payment is based on 85 percent of their average production over the past five years. For example, if tomatoes normally sell for $20 per crate but drop to $12 due to imported tomatoes flooding the market, a farmer would receive compensation for that $8 difference on their production volume.

To qualify for these payments, farmers must have an average income under $900,000 per year and earn at least 75 percent of their income from farming. The program only activates in regions where at least half of the local produce farmers choose to participate. This means the payments won't automatically happen everywhere—farmers in a region need to opt in together for the program to work in their area. The bill specifically targets fresh crops sold without processing, like produce you'd buy at a grocery store, rather than crops that get canned or frozen.