IFPA Testifies Before House Agriculture Committee, Elevating Specialty Crop Priorities Before Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) brought the priorities of the fresh produce and floral industry directly to Capitol Hill, as Chief Global Policy Officer Alexis Taylor testified before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture at its hearing, “Increasing Demand and Opportunities for Homegrown Products, Here and Abroad.”

Taylor used the hearing to press lawmakers on the issues that matter most to specialty crop growers: meaningful economic assistance, workforce reform, stronger federal nutrition programs, and expanded market access at home and abroad.

“Congress has a vital role to play in easing the pressures facing specialty crop growers, strengthening their competitiveness, and growing demand for American-grown fruits, vegetables, and florals. These are not separate objectives,” Taylor told the Committee. “When we invest in nutrition, reinforce consumer confidence, and expand markets at home and abroad, we help create stronger demand and a stronger future for U.S. specialty crop producers.”

Taylor testified that American specialty crop growers have faced a convergence of economic pressures in recent years including rising input, regulatory, and labor costs that have outpaced farm returns. These challenges are amplified for a sector that is uniquely labor-intensive and highly perishable. In the near term, IFPA and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance are calling on Congress to provide dedicated economic assistance of no less than $5 billion for specialty crop growers, structured around actual sales losses rather than acreage to more accurately reflect the economic harm growers face.

She also underscored the opportunity to grow demand at home, noting that nine out of 10 Americans fall far short of recommended fruit and vegetable intake, by strengthening federal nutrition programs like WIC and modernizing USDA procurement to prioritize fresh produce. On workforce, Taylor voiced IFPA’s strong support for Chairman Thompson’s Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, and on trade, she called for preserving access to key markets and continued investment in export programs such as TASC, MAP, and FMD.

Today’s testimony reflects IFPA’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the industry’s voice is heard where decisions are made, putting growers’ priorities directly in front of the lawmakers who shape the policies affecting their costs, their workforce, and their future.

  Lawmakers rely on feedback from the businesses and employees they represent to understand which issues matter most at home. The more they hear directly from our industry, the stronger our voice becomes and the more likely they are to take action.Take 60 seconds to send a letter to your members of Congress and urge them to support economic assistance for specialty crops and the priorities that keep our industry strong.

About the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our members’ prosperity by conducting advocacy, connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence. IFPA represents member companies from small family businesses to the largest international corporations throughout the global fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations.