Senator held discussion with farmers and growers from Yuma County and across Arizona
YUMA – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema hosted a roundtable discussion with Yuma area farmers to hear their priorities and continue advocating on their behalf. Sinema toured and held her roundtable at JV Farms to see firsthand how her work directly impacts the agricultural industry in Yuma and across Arizona.
“Arizona’s farmers know best about the challenges and opportunities facing the agricultural industry – and I’m incredibly grateful for their expertise and strong partnership. Meetings and tours like today’s allow me to better understand their needs while negotiating their priorities in Washington, including drought funding and the upcoming Farm Bill,” said Sinema.
The roundtable discussion featured members from the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association, the Arizona Farm Bureau, the Arizona Nursery Association, and Western Growers.
During the roundtable, Sinema heard from the local experts and stakeholders about their priorities for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill – including addressing high input costs, increasing the availability of specialty crop insurance products for Arizona producers, recognizing the diverse nature and unique challenges involved in specialty crop production, and more. The Senator acknowledged how important it is that the 2023 Farm Bill assists specialty crop growers as Yuma produces 90% of the United States’ lettuce every winter.
Sinema also detailed how the historic $13 billion she secured for drought resilience and Western water systems in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and the Inflation Reduction law will provide much-needed relief to the agricultural industry among water cutbacks and record high drought.
Additionally, Sinema heard from roundtable participants about the workforce challenges facing the agricultural industry. The Senator emphasized the need for solutions addressing both the short and long-term labor shortage and pledged to continue bringing colleagues together to help farm workers and employers thrive.
The Arizona Farm Bureau recently presented Sinema with the “Friend of the Farm Bureau” award – a distinction she has earned twice before for her work supporting Arizona’s agriculture and, most recently, securing historic investments for drought resilience.
In August, Sinema held a roundtable with Arizona farmers and ranchers from the Arizona Farm Bureau in Pinal County to discuss the historic investments for the region from her bipartisan infrastructure law. Prior to that meeting, Sinema hosted a roundtable discussion with Arizona farmers, ranchers, and agriculture leaders from the Arizona Farm Bureau on their infrastructure priorities.