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Congressman Panetta Hosts Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on the Central Coast of California

June 28, 2019

Discussed innovation, trade, and immigration with Secretary and Central Coast agriculture stakeholders

WATSONVILLE, CA – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) hosted U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue in Watsonville, California to talk about the importance of innovation, immigration, and trade to the agriculture industry and communities on the central coast of California.

Congressman Panetta and Secretary Perdue were joined by Congressman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), who serves on the House Agriculture Committee with Congressman Panetta, to tour a local farm and learn more about their investments in innovation and research.

Following the tour, Congressman Panetta, Secretary Perdue, and Congressman LaMalfa joined local farmers, farmworkers, and other agriculture industry stakeholders from across the Central Coast for a town-hall discussion on policies and federal programs. The program included a question and answer session where participants asked about investments in research, nutrition programs, trade, climate change, and immigration reform.

Said Congressman Panetta, "I invited Secretary Perdue to our district to show him the Central Coast's unique agriculture industry, the ways we are investing in innovation and sustainability, and to introduce him to the farmers and farmworkers who make our region the Salad and Berry Bowls of the World. I am glad we had the opportunity to discuss the important contributions of the diverse members of our agriculture community, including the immigrants who have made California's 20th district their home. We heard about the importance of trade to our farmers, and I will continue to work towards ensuring that trade agreements, including USMCA, include enforceable labor and environmental provisions. It was an honor to host the Secretary of Agriculture in our home so that he could see first-hand the value that our community on the Central Coast brings to our country and hope that he will bring what he learned back to Washington to ensure the success of our farmers and farmworkers."

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