In a continued effort to advocate for growers, co-chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA)─Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers; Kam Quarles, President of the National Potato Council; Robert Guenther, Chief Public Policy Officer IFPA; and Mike Joyner, President Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association─met this week with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D- MI) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15). In addition, the SCFBA co-chairs met with ranking members of the House and Senate ag committees on July 12, 2023.

The SCFBA was established to advocate for broad-based Farm Bill policy initiatives to address the unique needs of a diverse sector of the agricultural economy, known as specialty crops, and to aid their overall competitiveness in the face of increasing imports and rising global pressures on American exports. It is led by Co-Chairs Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, along with Robert Guenther, Chief Public Policy Officer for International Fresh Produce Association, who serves as secretariat for the Alliance.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance is a national coalition of more than 200 organizations representing growers of fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, nursery plants and other products. The Alliance was established to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop agriculture and improve the health of Americans by broadening the scope of U.S. agricultural public policy.