By Clint Thompson
Specialty crop industry leaders from across Georgia, Alabama, Florida and the Carolinas attended the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference last weekend in Savannah, Georgia. One of those ag leaders in attendance was Georgia Ag Commissioner Tyler Harper.
He discussed specialty crops in an interview with AgNet Media.
“I think when you look at agriculture as a whole, it’s still pretty tough right now. We have a lot going on in the ag economy. Costs are still high. Commodity prices are very volatile. I think no matter what commodity you grow, it’s pretty difficult,” Harper said. “We grow almost 200 different commodities in the state. Our friends in the specialty crop industry continue to have challenges, too, especially when we look at importation of products from foreign countries and across the border. Especially when our products are in season, it makes it significantly difficult. We continue to work with the administration and others on those particular priorities and how we can ensure the specialty crop industry can continue to be successful.
“Obviously, the wins at H-2A this year were big for our specialty crop industry. We’re the third largest utilizer of H-2A labor in America, and that increase of over $250 million on our producers over that three-year period during the Biden administration was significant. The changes we saw in the Trump administration, almost a dollar decrease in that wage rate is going to be significant for our producers in helping them ensure they’re able to put the products on the store shelves and able to be successful and do what they do best every single day.”