Kasey Cronquist, president of the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), has responded to USDA’s announcement of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program for row crop farmers and set-aside of $1 billion for a future program covering other commodities, including specialty crops.
“NABC appreciates the Trump administration’s continued recognition that American farmers are facing record-high production costs and dangerously tight financial margins. We also appreciate the administration’s commitment to conducting due diligence to ensure that specialty crop producers receive appropriate relief, and we look forward to continued engagement as the department evaluates how best to address the needs of blueberry farmers.
“Blueberry farmers, like other specialty crop producers, have endured years of rising input costs, labour shortages and mounting losses from natural disasters. Escalating production expenses, particularly for labour and fertilizer, are threatening the long-term viability of specialty crop farms. From 2021 through 2025, blueberry-producing states experienced an average 25 per cent increase in wage rates due to flawed government policies. Labour alone now accounts for more than 40 per cent of total production costs. Recent research from the University of Michigan shows that many growers are barely breaking even.
“The initial Farmer Bridge Assistance Program leaves open key questions about how the $1 billion set-aside will be allocated and whether specialty crop producers, including blueberry growers, will be eligible. We will continue engaging with USDA to ensure blueberry growers are fully considered as the administration refines its approach to implementing this important funding.
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