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.