The fall harvest is upon us, and people all over the world are enjoying the abundance of quality fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops. The specialty crop industry is important to USDA and plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, generating $65 billion in sales and creating more than 900,000 jobs. We recently met with the leaders of this key sector during last week’s session of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC).
As part of our mission to facilitate the efficient and fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, my agency – USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – oversees the FVIAC, which meets approximately twice a year to develop recommendations on how USDA can better support the fruit and vegetable industry.
This summer, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed to the board a group of distinguished leaders from various parts of the produce supply chain. I would like to introduce you to some of the members and give you a chance to hear from them about why they are serving on the Committee:
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA AMS