US Sen. Chuck Schumer called for the US Department of Agriculture to purchase Concord grape juice for its nutrition programs Monday at a press conference in Erie County. Schumer’s announcement comes as a response in support of New York grape growers after the Refresco beverage processing company, located in Chautauqua County, suddenly backed out of its purchase contracts with farmers in March.
“Earlier this year, on top of skyrocketing costs, many Western New York farmers had their Concord grape contracts cancelled by Refresco, leaving growers in a lurch and without the certainty they rely on to know they’ll have a market for their harvest,” Schumer said. “That’s why I’m calling on the USDA to buy Concord grape juice for domestic nutrition programs and boost our growers because when the farmers who feed our families need help from forces beyond their control, we need to act. I’ve worked with USDA on surplus grape purchases before, and I’m urging the USDA to again provide certainty to Upstate farmers, put American-grown grapes to good use, and strengthen the domestic food supply chain we all depend on.”
Niagara County is home to the Niagara Escarpment American Viticultural Area with 58 grape growers. The Niagara grape was created in Niagara County by cross-breeding Concord and Cassady grapes and is now a staple for making white grape juice.
Mark Russell, president of the Niagara Farm Bureau, said three of the county’s growers were impacted by Refresco’s cancellation: Diller-Raby Winery in Lewiston; Niagara Landing Wine Cellars in Cambria; and Schulze Vineyard and Winery.
“This really is a Chautauqua County impact,” Russell said. “The three Concord grape growers active in Niagara County, as far as I know, have for years found new buyers for their product. This has kind of been a long time coming. These are usually slow-speed disasters. We’ve seen processors and buyers leave the arena before. It’s happened in peaches; it’s happened in pears. This certainly doesn’t make it better for the grape growers of Niagara County.”
Russell said there typically isn’t any recourse when a crop purchase contract is broken.
“We can’t make them buy a crop,” he said. Russell was unsure about legal action against Refresco for damages.
Michael Schweitzer, president of the Niagara Wine Trail, agreed that legal action wasn’t likely. Schweitzer said a number of Niagara growers attended a cooperative extension event in Fredonia shortly after the cancellation, and discussed the matter extensively.
“I think the sense is — so you’re going to sue them, but they’re dropping contracts because they’re losing money,” he said. “It’s changing consumer demand that is what’s driving all of this. Grapes in general have seen a huge decline in supply and demand.”
Refresco, which does business in 14 countries, purchased grapes from 126 growers in Pennsylvania and Western New York, according to Schumer’s press release, and cancelled all contracts this year. In June, Schumer wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, urging her to conduct a bonus buy of Concord grapes under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935.
“If USDA were to purchase these grapes through Section 32 funds, it would not only provide immediate relief to New York grape growers, but it would also allow grapes to be included in the school lunch program,” said David Fisher, President of the New York Farm Bureau, in a press release. “With harvest season quickly approaching, the time is now to help our New York grape growers.”