Washington, DC – Certified American Grown, the cut flower and foliage industry association focused on advocacy and strategic promotion, is working on Capitol Hill this week to advocate for the domestic industry with elected officials and agency representatives. The annual Washington, DC Fly-in will be held in a hybrid manner this year with both in-person appointments and virtual visits.
The annual Fly-in is an opportunity for flower and foliage farms to directly interact and advocate on issues of importance, allowing members of Congress and other government officials to hear directly from CAG member farms.
“The power of having farms advocate of issues of direct significance to the industry is critical,” said Camron King, Certified American Grown CEO & Ambassador. “As the only association solely focused on the interests to the domestic cut flower and foliage community, we work daily to ensure our members are represented. Hearing from farmers themselves resonates loudly and allows for perspectives and importance to be amplified. This year we recognize may be different in how we carry out our Fly-in by hosting both in person and virtual visits, but the impact of the work is equally as powerful.”
This year, Certified American Grown will continue to elevate the issues of relevance and importance to the industry such as: passage of the American Grown Act; support for Customs and Border Protection’s continued efforts to enforce country of origin labelling; advocating for fair and balanced trade policy; fostering a labor force that is adequate and trained to support farming operations; and deepening partnerships and creating new opportunities to work with USDA and other departments.
Farmers will be holding meetings on both March 30 and 31, 2022 and ongoing work takes place throughout the year. Farms from throughout the country will be participating in the meetings in various forms.
About Certified American Grown. Certified American Grown is a diverse community of cut flower, cut foliage and potted plant farmers from across the United States. As the voice for domestic farms, CAG works towards sustainability and prosperity through a unified voice, effective advocacy, and strategic promotion. Certified American Grown farms participate in an independent, third-party supply-chain audit to verify both origin and assembly of the flowers and foliage grown. When it appears on bouquets, bunches, pots, packaging or signage, the iconic brand mark instills consumer confidence in place of origin. For more information about Certified American Grown, visit americangrownflowers.org.
