Western produce growers have faced flood, fire and drought, but it is regulatory concerns for hot issues from labor to water infrastructure that may be the biggest challenge. That's the message delivered by Western Growers members to Washington, D.C., recently.

Robert Sakata, Sakata Farms, Brighton, Colo., was one of the group on hand to share with lawmakers the challenges the industry faces. Sakata is president of the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and he was part of a delegation that spent three days in Washington talking to lawmakers to brief them on top issues for the industry.

Top of mind, Sakata said, was labor. "We called on members of Congress to support immigration reform and enact a guest worker program."

Sakata pointed out that the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013, but that bill never came to the floor for debate in the House of Representatives.

Other hot topics for produce growers during the meetings included water infrastructure, tax reform, international trade, Endangered Species Act reform and the 2018 Farm Bill.

Sakata met with Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo.; and Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Mike Coffman, R-Colo. He also met with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Also on the meeting list was Ray Starling, special assistant to President Donald Trump for agriculture, trade and food assistance.

Trip key to produce farmers being heard
Sakata acknowledged that a late-May trip to Washington may not be well-timed for produce farmers, but added that "while this is an extremely difficult time for growers to be away from their operations, it was very important to bring critical issues before our national leadership, particularly given the new administration. We were able to state our cases and believe we have been heard."

CFVGA members need to know what's happening in Washington, and Sakata noted that the group's association with Western Growers allows Colorado growers to know about legislation and policy that could affect their businesses.

CFVGA now includes more than 220 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, and representatives from allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes about $300 million to Colorado at the farm gate, and that's multiplied many times through the distribution chain. More than 60,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production.

Source: CFVGA