WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 The federal government is stepping in to\u00a0purchase\u00a0a large\u00a0amount\u00a0of Concord grapes after a major processor pulled out of the region\u00a0in March. But some growers say the purchase will not address the root of the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In March, beverage giant\u00a0Refresco\u00a0canceled\u00a0126\u00a0contracts across the Lake Erie Grape Belt. The move left Concord and Niagara grape growers in New York and Pennsylvania scrambling for a market\u00a0and\u00a0asking:\u00a0who will\u00a0purchase\u00a0this year\u2019s harvest?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Farmers,\u00a0like\u00a0Nick Mobilia, a third-generation grape grower, received a familiar answer to that question Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI graduated in 1970 and I\u2019ve been here ever since,\u201d said Mobilia, who owns Arrowhead Wine Cellars and Mobilia Fruit Farms in\u00a0North East, Pa., in the heart of the Lake Erie Grape Belt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mobilia has seen a lot over\u00a0nearly six\u00a0decades of growing,\u00a0harvesting\u00a0and selling grapes \u2014 including a recent decrease in demand for products like grape juice and jelly. But one of the biggest blows came in the spring, well\u00a0into\u00a0this year\u2019s season, when Refresco informed Mobilia and\u00a0other\u00a0growers that their contracts would be\u00a0terminated\u00a0due to \u201csustained grape market challenges and supply imbalances.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mobilia understands that processors are dealing with supply imbalances \u2014 working to manage and reduce supplies, while trying to build demand. Managing the issues can result in tough choices, as\u00a0local\u00a0growers found out in March.\u00a0That being said, Mobilia and others are upset with Refresco\u2019s timing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was caught off guard,\u201d said Mobilia. \u201cIf you knew you were going to do it, you should have done it right after the harvest because everybody spent three or $400 an acre trimming and pruning and fixing the trellis and everything. And then you get the news that, well, all that work I just put in these\u00a050 acres\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have a home. You\u00a0know,\u00a0that that hurt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will\u00a0purchase\u00a0$20 million worth of grape juice from the region. The money comes through Section\u00a032,\u00a0a federal program that allows the USDA to buy surplus farm products for domestic nutrition programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lawmakers from both parties \u2014 including Congressman Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. \u2014 had been pushing the USDA to make the purchase for months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a win for Upstate farmers, families, and New York\u2019s economy.\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0keep fighting for our growers and a stronger domestic food supply chain,\u201d said Leader Schumer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am thrilled that the USDA answered our call by enacting Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act to support Upstate New York\u2019s growers during this critical time. This decision delivers relief to our local farming families and protects a critical part of New York\u2019s agricultural economy,\u201d said Sen. Gillibrand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0not the first time the federal government has stepped in to\u00a0assist\u00a0the industry, and it may not be the last. The USDA has used similar Section 32 purchases for Concord grapes six times since 2006 \u2014 most recently in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mobilia is grateful for the help but added that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a short-term fix for a long-term problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir help is short term. We appreciate it. Absolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cThe problem is an industry problem, not a processor\u00a0or\u00a0a farmer problem, it is an industry problem.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they distribute this juice, like the school\u00a0districts and universities\u00a0and hospitals, we need to be at the door saying,\u00a0\u2018Okay,\u00a0let\u2019s\u00a0quit relying on the government to do it.\u00a0Let\u2019s\u00a0do it ourselves.\u2019 That takes the government out of it, but they\u00a0have to\u00a0be able to open the door for us to do that,\u201d Mobilia added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lake Erie Grape Belt is an important part of our agricultural heritage and a major economic driver for communities across Western New York. Our family farms have weathered difficult markets before, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure this industry has a future here,\u201d said Rep. Langworthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mobilia also hopes the industry has a future in the Lake Erie Grape Belt so that his family\u2019s legacy can continue\u00a0to be passed down to the next generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0the third generation on this property. My grandfather got it back in 1919,\u201d said Mobilia. \u201cMy dad had it and now I have it and my kids are going to take it over, so hopefully we can keep it rolling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though the USDA\u2019s purchase will help move much of this year\u2019s harvest \u2014 growers have expressed concerns that the purchase\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0replace the processing capacity lost in the Lake Erie Grape Belt, which is home to\u00a0nearly\u00a030,000\u00a0acres\u00a0of Concord grapes.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 The federal government is stepping in to\u00a0purchase\u00a0a large\u00a0amount\u00a0of Concord grapes after a major processor pulled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2288,136,138,137,2287,2286,2289],"class_list":["post-272892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-bureau","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news","tag-u-s-capitol","tag-washington-d-c","tag-washington-d-c-bureau"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}