Advocating for Bottom Lines of Farmers Should Be a Top Priority
June 7, 2021 The first time I set foot on muck soil was in a field of romaine. No end in sight. While vacationers were lounging beachside just an hour to the east, my own paradise was found — a never-ending field of veggies. A second trip a few weeks later once again highlighted the vastness of production in the Everglades Agricultural Area. This time it was a sea of sweet corn ready for harvest.
These visits were a reminder that while our state is often known for tourism, visitors really do not know or see the other half of Florida. So let’s look at what we have been up to here at the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) to help tell that story and advocate for Florida’s specialty crop producers.
Pushing Back on Unfair Trade Practices
FFVA continues to place a significant focus on trade, as year after year, producers around the state feel the increasingly devastating effects of unfair trading practices by Mexico. Earlier this year, blueberry grower members testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) about the harmful impacts.
While the outcome was not as we hoped with the USITC ruling imports have not caused serious injury, conversations with the USITC and the new U.S. Trade Representative continue. In fact, earlier in April, FFVA and several board members went before the USITC in a hearing connected to its two general fact-finding investigations on the effects of imported cucumbers and imported squash. One board member in particular summed it up perfectly by saying, “We are buried in volume and crushed by price.”
Bottom line: Without effective and timely trade-remedy relief, the devastating impacts already experienced under North American Free Trade Agreement due to unfair Mexican imports will only grow worse under United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
New Face at FFVA
In February, FFVA found a new face strolling the halls with the addition of Jamie Fussell as its new Director of Labor Relations. A sixth-generation Floridian, Fussell brings a diverse background having grown up on his family’s ranch in DeSoto County, graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law, and worked his way through two state capitals. If you want to know more about his background, check out our Harvester blog at ffva.com/page/HarvesterBlog.
Fussell joined just as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act was being re-introduced in Congress, which FFVA and other U.S. agriculture organizations supported. On March 18, the bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as of this writing, the bill has been sent to the Senate for consideration. It was a step forward in addressing the much-needed improvements to the H-2A guestworker program.
Bottom line: A stable, legal workforce is critical for Florida’s specialty crop producers and farmers. We will continue to advocate for that.
Convention Is Back
After canceling FFVA 2020 due to the pandemic, plans are underway to hold an in-person convention Sept. 13-15, 2021, at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples. With a focus on the health and safety of all involved, FFVA 2021 will feature dynamic speakers, but most importantly, present an opportunity to reunite face-to-face with so many in our industry. Our members have told us they are eager to return to an in-person event, and while we know this year’s convention may look and feel a little different, expectations are high that it will be a memorable one.
Registration opens in June at ffva.com/page/Convention. We look forward to seeing you there.