Save the US Avocado Industry

Being a fourth generation (Since 1914) Tuna Fisherman, Vessel Owner (240' Super Seiner) & Master/Captain involved in a family Owned & Managed business with Numerous Innovations & Trail blazing credits to my forefathers I feel compelled to share what happens when similar industry "Politicians" (CAC) who represent an industry (AmericanTuna Boat Asso.) "SELL OUT" to "Foreign Interests" while accepting hefty "DUES" supposedly in the Interests of Individual Owners. Lesson in Point: From Hundreds of US flagged vessels to a Pittance of it's former glory (the third-largest industry in San Diego 50 years ago) let this be a lesson in History when an industry Blindly pays into representation (CAC) while being systematically undermined and "SOLD OUT" to Foreign Interests !! Why pay "Union Dues" to Grossly "Overcompensated Politicians" who work to our "Collective Detriments" and Demise in False hope of Benificial California Avocado Industry Progress & Advancement ? Solution: FIRE the Entire CAC Board , Implement Disbanding CAC, STOP Payments of the 2% Assessment, Regroup as a Grassroots Democratic Organization with "Actual Representation" to the benefit of Individual Grove Owners, & Evolve into a Proactive Compilation of Collective California Avocado Grower's with our Future Economic Survival at heart where Independant Grove Owners each command a Vote, are the Board & oversee that an Annual "Transparent Financial Audit" is performed in the Spirit of our Mutual Benefits !!!

If we don't buy American, we will electing Trump again because he will be making you buy American.

It is important to support all American industry and farms by only buying American

Its gets tougher every year trying to compete with foreign markets, unless we can find ways to work smarter we won't have California Avocados.

The CAC does NOT represent the farmers and it should be disbanded. These directors seem to be only concerned with their own interests. The CAC freely accepts their accessed fee from the growers but does not represent them! Despicable!

I signed the USMCA to support free trade. But I do love California avocados. I am so conflicted.

With ever increase cost of water, labor, and electricity, California growers are getting destroyed by low import fruit prices.

California avocado growers are being sold out by handlers, packers and some of their own conflicted commission members who are beholding to or themselves growers of foreign fruit. Because it can only be grown in a very specific climate, many foreign producers have planted Hass look-alike crops that are watery and often riddled with hideous internal anthracnose lesions. This, in many cases, has done irreparable harm to consumer perception. 

We’re seeing an alarming and increasing trend of avocado growers turning off the water and walking away from a wasteland of dead trees and fallowed land. For the United states to retain its domestic ability to profitably grow avocados and to maintain domestic production, we must have immediate governmental intervention to level the playing field by investigating the lack of import supervision and cracking down on the current industry-destroying practices.

The flooding of mexican avocados is certainly hurting my ability to run a profitable small farm. When the fruit comes flooding across the border the prices I am paid by packing houses, a supply and demand sensitive pricing, drops substantially, Between the immigration issues caused by the last Presidential term, the cost of goods and services to maintain our farm has grown while the furnace blast of hot weather this last summer reduced our crop by 75%. I get fighting mother nature. I know farming is a difficult business proposition that is difficult to make money at. However, I do not understand our own government allowing us to be place in harms way by the trade policies they have continued to support. Instead support a local small farmer.

DUANE S. URQUHART Due to unique climatical and topographical constraints, high quality US Avocados for the most part can only be grown in very limited and select regions in California. According to CAC statistics, approximately 50% of the previous avocado growing acreage has already gone out of business. The foreign dumping of excess avocados on the US markets is endangering the domestic avocado industry's survival.

Way too many comments to list here.

5 years ago Featured

High water and labor costs can't compete with very low price imports, no matter how much technology spent especially unaffordable for small growers. There are many many small growers like us who years after years suffer from the ever increasing imported fruits cannot continue to survive.

Critical to the Avocado farmers in California.

We need to support this program so that other countries don’t flood our market during our season.

As Avocado farmers we struggle to make ends meet, usually at a loss due to imports at low prices. Save the Avocado industry in the US. Gregg R Mangus Says it perfectly, Thank you Mr Mangus, well said!

I as a grower support this petition.

I applaud this initiative to save the US Avocado Industry. Our nation deserves a supply chain that feeds our people without relying upon the benevolence of other countries to meet our agricultural needs.

Save the avocado industry in the US!

Bummer... https://tinyurl.com/y2qf8gbm

The US ITC just ruled against the blueberry Section 201. Ugh. Guess this won't work after all. https://tinyurl.com/y2qf8gbm