By Clint Thompson The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) pledge of assistance to specialty crop producers was needed for growers suffering from increased imports from Mexico. Even if ambassador Katherine Tai opted not to follow through on a Section 301 petition to assist the Southeast seasonal produce industry, she pledged to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish an …
New GFVGA Executive Vice President: Butts Assumes Role on Dec. 1
By Clint Thompson The new executive vice president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) hopes to continue the success the previous leader sustained for 25 years. Chris Butts has big shoes to fill when he takes over for Charles Hall as the new leader of the GFVGA on Dec. 1. But he believes the infrastructure is already …
GFVGA Executive Director: We’ve Got to Have Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) is one of the many ag-based organizations praising the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, recently introduced by U.S. Representative GT Thompson. Chris Butts, GFVGA executive director, highlighted the bill’s far-reaching impact. “We have to have this. It’s a solid bill. It was a bipartisan bill,” Butts said. “It was written …
USDA Announces Enrollment Period, Payment Rates for Specialty Crops Program
By Clint Thompson The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program will account for $1.625 billion in payments to eligible producers in response to high input prices and market disruptions resulting from unfair trade practices with foreign countries. The program was announced last week and drew praise from industry leaders, including Chris Butts, executive vice …
Sen. Ossoff Introducing Legislation to Cut Taxes for Farmers
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing legislation to cut taxes for Georgia farmers. Sen. Ossoff introduced the Farm Disaster Tax Cut Act this week to provide eligible farmers with a tax cut after natural disasters, revenue losses or pest outbreaks. The bill would exclude crop insurance indemnity payments, which are made to farmers after they face qualified …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: A New Year With New Opportunities
By Chris Butts The new year provides us with the opportunity to reflect, reset and develop new goals and objectives for the coming months. Looking back to January of 2025, the fruit and vegetable industry has made progress on important issues like labor rates and H-2A program rules. Successful Conference Here in Georgia, we are finding reason for optimism. We …
Ag Wage Reform Coalition to Hold Issue Briefing/Roundtable in Washington D.C.
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) is helping host an issue briefing and roundtable in Washington D.C. on Feb. 24. Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, discussed the meeting’s importance and its message. “We’ll have growers and representatives from 39 organizations and nine states that now make up the …
Industry Leader: AEWR Had Adverse Effect on American Producers
By Clint Thompson The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) was designed to avoid having an adverse effect on American farmers. That has not been the case, however. It’s a message that those in the agricultural industry voiced to legislative leaders amid spiraling AEWR wages used to pay workers in the H-2A program. It ultimately led the Department of Labor to …
Sneak Peek: February 2026 Specialty Crop Grower Magazine
In this month’s sneak peek, the February issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and its potential impact on specialty crops. Industry leaders weighed in on the movement and how specialty crop growers will benefit from it. These experts include Cathy Burns, chief executive officer for the International Fresh Produce Association and Tony …
USMCA Highlighted During Southeast Regional
By Clint Thompson The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was a featured topic during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. The USMCA entered into force on July 1, 2020. It has a couple of upcoming important dates that growers and industry leaders need to keep in mind. The USMCA requires the Free Trade Commission, which comprises governmental …