Barbara Boxer: “Sugar beets are an important crop for many growers throughout California's San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys. Growers in…”

“Sugar beets are an important crop for many growers throughout California's San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys. Growers in California want to keep producing sugar beets, but processing refineries in California are in danger of closing if they do not recover the marketing allocation they lost in the last farm bill. If the allocation formula is not corrected to provide California with its fair share, the entire sugar beet industry in my State, with the hundreds of jobs it supports, will be in serious jeopardy. California's sugar beet industry is an important contributor to the economies of the rural communities where they are located. The city of Mendota, located in western Fresno County, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the State, a problem that will certainly be exacerbated by the possible closure of the refinery. The Mendota facility employs 300 full-time workers and as many as 500 to 600 workers when running at full capacity. The importance of the refinery to the local economy becomes clearer when you consider that according to the city's estimate there are 1,767 jobs available in Mendota. At full capacity the refinery accounts for more than one-third of the city's employment base. The farm gate value of sugar beets in California is approximately $66.7 million, and when sugar and the value of its byproducts are included, sugar beets in California contribute $130.8 million annually to the California economy.”