PORTLAND, N.Y. — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase Concord grape products after a major processor canceled contracts with more than 100 growers across New York and Pennsylvania.

Refresco canceled contracts with 126 growers earlier this year, leaving farmers searching for new buyers after many had already invested money and labor into the 2026 crop. Schumer said Monday that a federal purchase could provide short-term relief while growers work to find new markets.

The cancellations come as the Concord grape industry faces broader challenges, including declining consumption, rising production costs and low prices for bulk grape products, according to industry leaders who joined Schumer at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Chautauqua County.

Chad Schofield, owner of Schofield Farms and other agribusinesses in the region, said the effects are already reaching beyond individual vineyards.

“My vineyard operations will have an excess of 600 tons of grapes with no home,” Schofield said.

Schofield said canceled contracts are also affecting his equipment dealership as customers face financial losses.

Schumer wants the USDA to purchase Concord grape juice and other products for use in federal nutrition programs, including schools and food banks.

“USDA could buy American grown grapes and put them to good use while the farmers are busy looking for a new buyer,” Schumer said.

USDA has the authority to make such purchases through Section 32 of a 1935 federal agriculture law. The program allows the federal government to purchase domestically produced agricultural commodities and distribute them through nutrition assistance programs. USDA announced plans in January to purchase bottled Concord grape juice under that authority.

Schumer said similar purchases have been made in the past and told local officials that funding is available, though USDA would still have to approve another purchase. He said the agency has cooperated with similar efforts under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

The USDA has not announced whether it will approve Schumer’s latest request.

While a federal purchase could provide immediate relief, industry leaders said the Concord grape sector needs a longer-term strategy.

Wendy Oakes Wilson, chair of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, said growers are facing pressure from several directions at once.

“We are, however, being dealt a blow by all three at the same time and are in an economic crisis the likes we have not experienced before,” Wilson said, referring to consumer demand, production economics and weather.

Wilson said the industry also needs new markets and a broader strategic plan to remain viable over the coming decades.

The debate comes as Congress continues work on a new Farm Bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance the Agricultural Act of 2026 earlier this month in a 10-11 vote.

Schumer said he has spoken with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman and ranking Democrat Amy Klobuchar and believes lawmakers are close to resolving the remaining disagreements.

“There are one or two problems left. I think we’ll be able to solve them when we come back on Sept. 15. I’m very optimistic about that,” Schumer said.

The immediate USDA purchase Schumer is seeking does not depend on passage of a new Farm Bill.

Schumer said the Lake Erie Concord grape belt supports more than 2,000 local agricultural jobs and generates more than $300 million in economic activity each year.

For growers approaching harvest, however, the immediate concern remains finding somewhere for this year’s grapes to go.