Rep. Panetta Earns the “Friend of Agriculture” Award from the American Farm Bureau

The county representatives each thanked him for his strong support for our region's agriculture, specifically his efforts to pass the new Farm Bill, funding for natural disaster relief, and funding for water resource infrastructure improvement. The County representatives also thanked Congressman Panetta and his staff for their accessibility to our County Farm Bureaus and their continual willingness to learn about the concerns and issues agriculture continues to face.

"I am greatly honored to receive the Friend of Agriculture award from the AFBF and humbled to be recognized for my work in Congress by our local Farm Bureaus," said Rep. Panetta. "Our Central Coast farmers, producers, vintners, and ranchers are the backbone of our economy and the fabric of many communities in the 19^th Congressional District. Despite the constant challenges that they face from volatile weather events, rigid mandates, uncertain markets, and a shrinking workforce, the people in agriculture have always impressed me with their amazing will to always work towards and find a pathway forward. The least that I can do as their U.S. Representative is to ensure that the federal government doesn't hurt them, but rather helps them with the tools and investments that they need to continue their success."

"It is of great benefit to have a strong advocate for farming and ranching with Congressman Panetta," said Norm Grott, Executive Director of Monterey County Farm Bureau. "Even though the District was realigned in Monterey County, Mr. Panetta continues to hold strong with his support of local farming and ranching, both through legislative efforts and his engagement with federal agencies."

Rep. Panetta previously passed into law policies to ensure specialty crop health, develop a strategy on mechanization, foster organic research, empower our veteran farmers, and provide greater certainty in agricultural trade. Rep. Panetta has successfully secured significant federal investment to support COVID-19 protections for farmers and farm workers, programs for socially disadvantaged producers, agricultural research, pest management, and food safety.

Rep. Panetta recently co-led the introduction of the Agriculture Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Actwhich would provide an additional $14 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assist agricultural producers impacted by losses caused by natural disasters in 2023. He continues to advocate for a Farm Bill that supports the farmers and rural economy of California's 19^th Congressional District with provisions to improve producers' ability to recover from natural disasters, support specialty crops, promote innovation and mechanization, and foster cutting-edge agricultural research.

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