<p>As the hundreds of thousands of federal workers return to their jobs following the end of the 16-day government shutdown, United Fresh is still focused on bringing forward key produce issues to federal authorities, especially the Farm Bill and the processing of H-2A applications.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> In terms of the Farm Bill, the Agriculture Committee leadership from the Senate and House of Representatives has announced the negotiators who will work out the differences between those two bodies’ versions of the bill, according to a United Fresh news release. An October 28 meeting has been scheduled to begin drafting a unified bill to send to the House and Senate for debate and passage. United Fresh is committed to passing the new Farm Bill, ensuring that it is reflective of current fruit and vegetable policy needs and not another extension of the 2008 Farm Bill.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> United’s Robert Guenther, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, says, “The Farm Bill provides badly needed resources for research, pest and plant disease, mitigation, trade, nutrition programs, and block grants. These programs have proven to help fruit and vegetable producers be competitive.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> United Fresh is also working with industry and congressional allies to recommend steps that federal authorities can take to expedite the processing of H-2A applications. As the winter harvest approaches, it will be more crucial than ever to secure an adequate labor force to avoid massive crop losses.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “Fruit and vegetable growers feel the financial hit from the delay in processing the guest worker applications,” says Guenther. “Growers have lost millions of dollars because those workers have not been able to harvest commodities in the field.” Guenther continued by re-affirming that the processing of H-2A applications must be a top priority for United Fresh to ensure all federal functions affecting the produce industry will come back as quickly and effectively as possible.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> President Obama echoed this call to prioritize policies that support the fruit and vegetable industry. “We still need to pass a law to fix our broken immigration system. We still need to pass a farm bill. And with the shutdown behind us and budget committees forming, we now have an opportunity to focus on a sensible budget that is responsible, that is fair, and that helps hardworking people all across this country.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue our coverage on the Farm Bill and H-2A applications.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://iuf.unitedfresh.org" target="_new"> United Fresh </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
