“Western Growers’ members and staff solve government affairs issues collectively in a way that would not be possible for a single company on their own. A true testimony to the power in numbers and why Western Growers Association has developed a trusted brand for 95 years.” – Harold McClarty HMC Farms
OUR IMPACT.
ADVOCACY / WASHINGTON DC Advocating for a Better Tomorrow.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Payroll Deductibility The Western Growers’ federal team has led the push for Congress to fix the CARES Act through legislation that would uphold congressional intent. This important plan was intended to allow for continued payroll deductibility, even for the amount forgiven under the PPP loan program. Unfortunately, the IRS later issued a notice that the forgiven PPP loan amounts are not deductible, resulting in a so-called “double tax benefit.” Farmworker Safety Since the pandemic’s inception, Western Growers has advocated for funding for farmworker safety measures, quarantine housing, and personal protective equipment (PPE). These efforts were successful, with Congress authorizing the USDA to establish a program to pay for such safety measures and authorizing funding for it. Vaccine Prioritization Western Growers has been active in pushing for essential worker priority. We have signed several coalition letters that advocate for frontline health care personnel and food and agriculture sector critical workers so that they are included in the next phase of vaccinations.
This year was filled with challenges that forced us to switch gears. But we did not lose focus. Instead, we joined forces with other key industry partners, reprioritized our efforts, and focused on continuing to move forward.
COVID-19 Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) CFAP is the federal relief program introduced to help agricultural producers manage the unexpected market disruptions and associated costs due to COVID-19. Our federal team successfully advocated for expanding the range of eligible commodities and successfully pushed to streamline the application process to better meet the needs of member operations.
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