SOURCE: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/29/20

Add winegrape producers to the list of ag groups seeking financial relief from the Agriculture Department. Industry research earlier this month found that California growers could face $437 million in lost sales from the 2020 harvest because of supply chain disruptions, as higher retail wine sales weren’t enough to make up for the dropoff at restaurants, hotels and other channels.

“I’ve never seen so much uncertainty in the marketplace,” Mike Testa, chair of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said in a statement last week. “Growers are struggling to find a home for their fruit, vineyard acres are being pulled out and our winery customers are experiencing extraordinary challenges.”

Testa said it’s “essential that [USDA] recognizes the harm Covid-19 has caused our markets, and winegrape growers need to be included in the next round of financial assistance for agricultural producers.”

Asking for aid: The group is among a growing number of ag sectors that are either petitioning USDA for more access to the ongoing $16 billion farm rescue program (including producers of apples, potatoes and liquid eggs) or calling for funding in the next round of federal aid (like ethanol producers).