Making Agricultural Products Locally Essential Act or the MAPLE ActThis bill includes maple syrup as one of the eligible foods under the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). As background, the Department of Agriculture's SFMNP provides grants to participating states to provide low-income seniors with coupons/vouchers that may be used at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs to purchase eligible foods (i.e., fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally-grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey).
Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection ActThis bill directs the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to provide payments to agricultural producers to implement certain conservation practices in counties at or near the Texas southern border. In general, this Department of Agriculture program provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.Specifically, EQIP must provide payments to agricultural producers to implement conservation practices to address and repair damage to agricultural land and farming infrastructure that is in a county at or near the Texas southern border and contributes to natural resource concerns or problems.
Supporting All Producers Act or the SAP Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to solicit input from maple industry stakeholders with respect to the research and education priorities of the maple industry for the Acer Access and Development Program (Acer). Specifically, the bill amends Acer to require USDA to consider the information provided through consultation with the maple industry when making program grants.The bill also extends the program's authorization through FY2030.As background, Acer provides competitive grants to states, tribal governments, and research institutions to support their efforts to promote the domestic maple syrup industry through activities associated with, among other things, the promotion of (1) research and education related to maple syrup production, and (2) natural resource sustainability in the maple syrup industry.