This Friday, May 1^st, at 1:00 p.m. PT, WG, in partnership with alliantgroup Washington insiders, will present a live webinar, moderated by Dennis Nuxoll, Western Growers Vice President of Government Affairs.

Mr. Nuxoll will be joined by Mike Johanns, former Secretary of Agriculture, Rick Lazio, former Congressman, and Dean Zerbe, former Senior Counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

The panel of presenters will cover updates to the CARES Act, the replenishment of PPP, and its impact on the agriculture industry.

In addition, the presentation will provide a review of the existing tax relief incentives that growers and processors are eligible to benefit from based on the work they do every day.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Today, Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new portal to help parents, including essential workers, find safe, reliable and accessible child care options.

This announcement builds on previous executive action the Governor has taken to expand child care subsidies and after-school programs for essential workers.

The new portal is available at covid19.ca.gov/childcare and enables parents to enter their location and the type of care they need, instantly receiving a list of local center-based and family child care programs.

The list of open licensed child care programs will include health and safety information, age of children accepted, capacity, availability, hours, and contact information for the program and local Child Care Resource and Referral agency.

The Child Care Resource and Referral agencies can answer general questions, including those about child care subsidies.

On April 1, UBS Financial Advisors issued a comprehensive summary of the COVID-19 relief programs contained in the recently-enacted CARES Act stimulus package. The programs are broken down into four buckets: Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Loans for Larger Businesses, and Tax Credits and Deferrals.

Small businesses in the WG membership, companies with up to 500 employees, are currently eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans meant to cover the next 8 weeks of payroll costs, including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. In order for the loan to be forgiven, payroll levels and wages must be maintained through June 30, 2020. The covered period begins February 15, 2020 and ends on June 30, 2020.

Click here to access more information on the U.S. Department of Treasury website, including the application.

As of April 2, agricultural operations are not eligible for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which is a low-interest (3.75%), non-forgivable loan and different than the Paycheck Protection Program. This small business program provides loans up to $2 million and covers accounts payable, fixed debts, payroll and other bills due to COVID-19.

Farm groups and House lawmakers are now pushing the Small Business Administration to include agricultural operations in the EIDL program. We will alert our members if the EIDL eligibility criteria changes.

Yesterday, Western Growers joined its partner associations in the California specialty crop industry in sending a letter to Congressmen Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes outlining industry funding priorities from the CARES Act relief package.

The letter highlights three specific USDA program requests: direct payments to growers, a food purchase program and a PACA trust claim guarantee.

Direct Payments: Due to the significant instability of domestic and international markets, the letter calls on USDA to provide direct payments to specialty crop growers similar to those that have been made through the Market Facilitation Program.

Food Purchases: Because of the uncertainties in the foodservice supply chain, the signatories encourage USDA to work with growers/shippers, through a direct purchase program and an expanded Section 32 program, to procure specialty crop commodities that can be utilized by school feeding programs or food banks.

PACA Trust: Given the potential for widespread non-payment and bankruptcies within the foodservice sector, the letter proposes that USDA guarantee the payment of all legitimate PACA trust claims filed against bankrupt firms, to the extent these claims are not satisfied by the available trust assets. 

Click here to read the full letter.

Today a bipartisan group of 108 members of the U.S. House of Representatives – led by Congressmen Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Jim Costa (CA-16) and Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) – sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue echoing the Produce Market Stabilization Program proposal presented by a coalition of produce organizations from across the country.

The letter calls on the Administration to provide direct support to specialty crop producers as part of the recently-enacted CARES Act, which includes more than $23 billion earmarked for agriculture – $14 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation and $9.5 billion for agricultural producers impacted by COVID-19.

In the letter, the Members stated: “We are very pleased that specialty crop producers have been specifically included in this relief package. These producers are experiencing significant losses, with more losses expected in the coming days, weeks, and potentially months. Now, as you make decisions regarding how best to allocate CARES Act funding, we request that you reserve funding to develop and execute a recovery and relief plan for the specialty crop industry.”

The letter outlines the three elements included in the Produce Market Stabilization Program:

1. Fresh Produce Purchases: Funding and guidance for USDA purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables, including purchases for federal nutrition programs.
2. Direct Payments to Specialty Crop Producers: Direct payments to specialty crop producers impacted by lost sales or other financial losses due to the COVID-19 emergency.
3. Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act: PACA assistance and flexibility.

Of the 108 members, 23 represent Western Growers’ four home states:

• Rep. Jimmy Panetta – CA (letter lead)
• Rep. Jim Costa – CA (letter lead)
• Rep. Doug LaMalfa – CA (letter lead)
• Rep. Ami Bera – CA
• Rep. Julia Brownley – CA
• Rep. Salud Carbajal – CA
• Rep. Tony Cardenas – CA
• Rep. TJ Cox – CA
• Rep. Jason Crow – CO
• Rep. John Garamendi – CA
• Rep Josh Harder – CA
• Rep. Jared Huffman – CA
• Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick – AZ
• Rep. Barbara Lee – CA
• Rep. Zoe Lofgren – CA
• Rep. Doris Matsui – CA
• Rep. Jerry McNerney – CA
• Rep. Raul Ruiz MD – CA
• Rep. Xochitl Torres Small – NM
• Rep. Eric Swalwell – CA
• Rep. Mike Thompson – CA
• Rep. Scott Tipton – CO
• Rep. Juan Vargas – CA

Click here to read the full letter.

As part of the ongoing effort to provide accurate and timely information to the Colorado agriculture industry, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will be hosting a virtual public town hall gathering this Thursday, April 9, from 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

CDA will update the industry on its latest work surrounding COVID-19 and answer questions. Questions can be submitted ahead of time through this form.

Town Hall Call-In Number: 1-301-715-8592

Webinar ID Number: 501-039-997

As farmers across America are facing severe economic hardship due to the coronavirus, Western Growers President and CEO, Dave Puglia, appeared on America’s Newsroom on Fox News today to discuss the collapse of the foodservice sector and the economic uncertainties facing the industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to watch the full interview on Fox News.

Puglia also appeared on Bill Hemmer Reports on Fox News on Wednesday, April 8. We will share this segment once it becomes available.

Yesterday, in response to a letter sent by Western Growers and a coalition of California agricultural organizations, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Congressman Devin Nunes sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to develop a spending plan specifically for specialty crop growers. 

The letter states that California is the largest agriculture producer in the U.S. where the predominant percentage of specialty crops in the country are grown. The letter goes on to note that this produce feeds our communities, nation, and the world, which is why it is “important to help ensure our specialty crop growers have the resources and assistance they need during these tough economic times resulting from the pandemic.”

Referring to the industry letter, Representatives McCarthy and Nunes call on USDA to support California’s specialty crop industry through a combination of direct payments to growers, the purchase of food and produce, and the guarantee of payments for all legitimate Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) trust claims filed against bankrupt firms.

Click here to read the full letter.