Maria Cantwell: “I rise to speak, along with my colleagues from Michigan and Washington who have eloquently talked about the important…”

“I rise to speak, along with my colleagues from Michigan and Washington who have eloquently talked about the important need of helping the apple industry--not just those States mentioned but all across the Nation. We are trying to move forward on an Agriculture appropriations bill. We have the opportunity in that process to express the failure of last August when we actually had the means by which to help legitimate apple growers across the country in the emergency supplemental. I very much appreciate the efforts of the Senator from Wisconsin to help us bring attention to this issue. The current House version of this bill includes $150 million in apple assistance. We need to match that assistance. As my colleagues have stated, this industry, particularly this year for us in the State of Washington, has just been devastating, largely due to the fact we have had the second worst drought on record in our State. Not only have farmers been without all the resources they need, but the high cost of energy in those areas where farmers have been able to irrigate has made this a very difficult year. We have already seen how important the apple industry is in our State. Over 183,000 people are employed in that industry. But every one of these family farms are on the brink, and they need help now. Current prices are 40 percent below the cost of production.”