IFPA leader to testify at Senate Ag Committee meeting

Bret Erickson, senior vice president of business affairs at J&D Produce Inc. BB #:124521, Edinburg, TX, will testify on behalf of International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 at the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on February 26. 

In his testimony, Erickson will address some of the produce industry’s challenges, such as the federal government’s overregulation and unwillingness to address agriculture’s shortage of reliable, legal labor.

Erickson will also stress the industry’s need for a farm bill, increasing fruits and vegetables in government feeding programs, and the importance of fair trade, which could be at risk with proposed tariffs.

Erickson is chairman of IFPA’s U.S. government relations council.

The full committee meeting is titled “Perspectives From the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy” and will hear from four others from the specialty crops industry.

The second half of the panel will speak on meat, dairy, and egg issues.