Specialty Crop Leaders Push for Trade, Food Safety and Farm Bill Changes

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour, Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers, joined the show from the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association convention to discuss several major issues facing specialty crop producers across the country.

Trade remains near the top of that list. Puglia said Western Growers supports extending the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but wants changes involving Mexico, including stronger labor enforcement and increased food safety oversight. He noted that the impact of Mexican imports varies considerably by crop and region, making changes to the trade agreement particularly complicated for specialty agriculture.

Food safety was another major concern following the recent cyclospora outbreak. Puglia said uncertainty surrounding the source caused market losses well beyond the products ultimately implicated, with lettuce, berries, carrots and other produce categories affected as consumers reacted to conflicting information.

Puglia argued that FDA needs to communicate more quickly and clearly during outbreaks, while the produce industry also needs to improve its ability to counter misinformation through social media.

The conversation also turned to the Farm Bill, where Puglia highlighted several provisions important to specialty crop growers. Among them are efforts to make crop insurance and other risk-management tools available to more specialty crops and potentially cover losses resulting from events such as food safety outbreaks outside a grower's control. He also pointed to funding for mechanization research and changes that could improve how economic assistance reaches specialty crop producers.

Puglia also addressed California's restrictions surrounding autonomous agricultural equipment. After seeing a driverless tractor operating in a Florida vegetable field, he contrasted that with the regulatory limitations California farmers face when attempting to deploy similar technology.

Later in the program, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce discussed changes to Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, including the addition of 30 million base acres and enrollment deadlines producers need to know.

Listen to the full interviews below or on your favorite podcast app.