North Kent News

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase an additional amount of asparagus grown in Michigan to support growers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huizenga, who serves Michigan's 2nd District, sent a detailed letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and requested that the USDA purchase 3.5 million additional pounds of asparagus, or double the amount the USDA has already requested.

“When you consider that the asparagus industry is already facing questionable foreign trade practices, labor barriers, and historically low prices, along with the negative impact of COVID-19, it is critical the USDA announces a bonus purchase before the harvest begins in early May,” Huizenga wrote. “By purchasing additional asparagus prior to the start of the harvest season, the USDA would be providing critical relief to the industry. Michigan-grown asparagus would also be a valuable nutritional addition to food banks, schools and senior meal programs in this time of need." 

John Bakker, the executive director at Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, said the large purchase will help support the industry during the coronavirus crisis.

“This is tremendous,” Bakker told the Ludington Daily News. “We appreciate all of the efforts of Congressmen Huizenga and all the others for the support of our industry; they realize just how badly our industry needs this purchase.”

Bakker says that in 2019, the industry lost a substantial amount of offshore business and this hindered the asparagus trade in more ways than one.

“In 2019 we learned at the beginning of our season our processors had lost a substantial amount of business to offshore customers,” Bakker told the Ludington Daily News.. “As a result, our processing dropped from 10 million pounds to around seven million pounds and we had to force three million pounds of additional product on to the fresh market, which severely depressed prices, basically last year was a chaotic season."