Looming budget cuts threaten California Crush Report
The eagerly awaited annual Califorinia Grape Crush Report issued each spring could be for the chop, if a proposed cut in agriculture spending goes ahead.
President Trump’s budget intends to slash 21% from the agriculture funding budget for the 2018 financial year. The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service works with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to produce the annual report that details how many tons of grapes were crushed, where they were grown and prices achieved.
Karen Ross, California state secretary of agriculture described the proposal as “dead on arrival”, saying that despite the bill unlikely to pass in its present format, cuts to agriculture spending was still very likely to be on the cards. She added it was a troubling indicator of what could be removed or changed in the Federal Farm Bill.
“It eliminates so many things that matter for California,” she said. She was doubtful that California could foot the bill for compiling the report itself, and said more support was needed from a wider variety of crops for the state to publish it.
Tony Correia, president of appraisal and consultancy firm The Correia Co., said everything needs to be done to ensure cuts don't kill the report. "We need to keep that Grape Crush Report," he said. "That's valuable information for all of us."