Protecting Our Produce Act

This bill creates a 5-year pilot program (2025-2030) to provide crop loss payments to small-scale farmers growing specific seasonal and perishable crops like asparagus, bell peppers, blueberries, cucumbers, and squash. Farmers qualify if their crop's market price falls below a calculated 5-year average price (excluding the highest and lowest years) due to imports, and they meet income thresholds ($5 million average adjusted gross income over 3 years, with 75%+ income from farming). Payments equal the price difference multiplied by the farmer's average production (excluding extreme years), funded at $200 million annually. The program directly affects eligible small farms in regions where these crops are grown within their seasonal marketing window (typically 4 weeks post-harvest).