Help to cranberry industry was limited in tariff relief package

Last  week, I joined my colleagues in crafting a bipartisan letter to USDA Secretary, Sonny Perdue, urging him to prioritize relief to cranberry growers while retaliatory tariffs are still in place, as the Department has done for other producers. While other commodities, including specialty crops such as almonds and cherries received direct payments in the tariff relief package, the relief provided to the cranberry industry was limited.  

The cranberry industry serves as an important source of agricultural production for several states across the country, especially Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's cranberry industry represents the state's leading fruit crop in both acreage and value. Therefore, it is crucial that the cranberry industry is taken into account when determining relief levels for crop producers throughout the country.

Providing temporary assistance to the cranberry industry in the United States will allow growers and processors to adjust to the adverse market conditions and maintain production levels while we modernize our country's trade policies in order to level out the global playing field.      

Representative Glenn Grothman serves the 6th Congressional District.