Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia joined Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), and leaders from major farm and farmworker organizations this morning to spur Senate action on the agricultural labor crisis.

During the roundtable session, which took place in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Hearing Room, Puglia and other national ag and labor leaders stressed that farmers and farmworkers need certainty to continue producing an abundant, safe and affordable domestic food supply, and that securing a reliable and skilled agricultural workforce is essential to the future viability of America’s family farms and long-term prosperity of farmworker communities.

Looking to build on the momentum created by the passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House, the group stressed the need for immediate action and encouraged Secretary Vilsack and Senators Bennet and Crapo to pursue a meaningful bipartisan legislative solution to protect America’s food supply.

The following individuals attended the Agricultural Immigration Reform Roundtable:

Tom Vilsack, U.S. Agriculture Secretary

Michael Bennet, Colorado Senator

Mike Crapo, Idaho Senator

Dave Puglia, President & CEO, Western Growers

Chuck Connor, President, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

Zippy Duval, President, American Farm Bureau Federation

Rob Larew, National Farmers Union

Tom Stenzel, President & CEO, United Fresh Produce Association

Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council

Teresa Romero, President, United Farm Workers

Arturo Rodriguez, President Emeritus, United Farm Workers, former Board Chair UFW Foundation

Bruce Goldstein, President, Farmworker Justice

Reyna Lopez, Executive Director, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste