Representatives from the National Watermelon Association (NWA) recently advocated in Washington, D.C., for improvements to the U.S. watermelon industry.
NWA representatives Bob Gibson, Jordan Carter, Greg Leger, John Lapide and George Szczepanski lobbied for legislative initiatives and industry priorities, particularly focused on agriculture labor reform.
“As both a grower and as president of the National Watermelon Association, I see the consequences of a flawed agricultural labor system every day,” Gibson said.
“These challenges are not abstract – they affect real families, real farms and the future of our industry. We went to Washington, D.C. to ensure both Congress and the administration understand that labor reform is not optional – it’s essential to the survival of farms of every size.”
During the trip, NWA met with members of Congress, representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Labor and White House staff.
During the meetings on Capitol Hill and with the administration, they discussed the industry’s labor issues, potential legislative and regulatory initiatives and other possible solutions for the agricultural workforce situation across the country.
According to the NWA, supporting the reform of labor programs such as H-2A will ensure affordable and efficient labor for watermelon production, which is crucial for meeting harvesting needs and sustaining the entire industry.
NWA representatives encouraged members of Congress to support legislative efforts, particularly referencing the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group (ALWG), which was established during the 118th Congress by Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Ranking Member David Scott (GA-13).
Specifically, NWA supports the recommendations in the final report from the ALWG and expressed the advantages for key policymakers to reference those recommendations when considering the agriculture workforce and H-2A reform.
Other talks involved encouraging the administration to consider regulatory priorities that would positively impact the specialty crop industry and ensure adequate labor options for American agriculture.
“Our fly-in brought us face-to-face with leaders from both sides of the aisle in Congress and officials across the administration. We’ve already seen some regulatory wins for our growers, and our meetings gave us reason to believe that further action is possible,” said Szczepanski, executive director of the National Watermelon Association.
“But the message remains clear: Without urgent action on agricultural labor reform, American watermelon growers are being pushed to the breaking point. We are committed to working with Congress and the administration to deliver the solutions our growers need as soon as possible.”
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