On Saturday, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) joined two roundtables convened by Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24), one on wildfire preparedness and prevention and another on farm labor and specialty crops.

“I thank Representative Carbajal for inviting me to California’s 24^th Congressional District to meet with stakeholders from across the forest management and specialty crop sectors. It is always valuable to hear directly from specialty crop producers, and it was particularly eye-opening to learn from the experiences of wildfire experts on the ground – as firefighters battle three wildfires burning in northern Minnesota. I will lean on their insights as we continue searching for a path forward for the farmers left behind by the Republican budget. The conversations I had with folks today reflected an urgent need for congressional oversight of the USDA – whose mass layoffs have left communities vulnerable as we enter peak wildfire season – and investments in programs that support the specialty crop farmers who feed our families,” said Ranking Member Craig.

The first roundtable took place at the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens, where they discussed wildfire prevention for the Los Padres National Forest and surrounding communities. Participants included representatives from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Los Padres Forest Watch, the Project for Resilient Communities and others.

The second roundtable was held at Peak-Flynn Ranch in Carpinteria, where the group discussed the unique nature of Central Coast agriculture, research in mechanization, the federal specialty crop block grant program, labor shortages, trade and more. Participants included representatives from the Santa Barbara Vinters’ Association, California Strawberries Commission, Santa Barbara County Cattleman’s Association, Santa Barbara Flower and Nursery Growers Association, California Avocado Commission, local Farm Bureaus and others.