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A pair of U.S. senators are looking for federal support for county grape farmers.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer stood at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland on Monday and called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase concord grape juice for use by domestic nutrition programs across the country. Earlier this year, Refresco suddenly canceled contracts with approximately 126 farmers across New York and Pennsylvania after they had already invested in preparing their vineyards for this season, leaving local growers in a lurch. Schumer is pushing the USDA to help Western New York's farmers, many of whom rely on contracts with Refresco, by purchasing some of this surplus product to ensure the continued success of Concord grape growers in New York.
"Upstate New York is known for the top-notch quality of our Concord grapes, which are made into everything from juices to jellies and are an important part of our state's agricultural economy. But 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," said Schumer. "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. It's a win-win-win."
Chautauqua County is the leading grape-producing county in the state and the largest grape-growing county in the country outside of California. Every year, about 800 growers produce 150,000 tons or more of grapes on more than 22,000 acres on the Lake Erie Plain across northern Pennsylvania and Western New York. Products like juices and jellies that come from Concord grapes are processed locally and sold across the world. The Cornell Cooperative Extension estimates that the Lake Erie Grape Belt region supports about 2,000 jobs, contributes upwards of $300 million in economic impact, and supports a fruit and vegetable processing industry that employs over 5,000 workers.
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) made a similar plea, calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to initiate a bonus buy of Concord grape juice from producers in the Lake Erie Grape Belt and New York's Niagara region across Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. In a letter to Rollins, Gillibrand noted that following Refresco's decision to end all contracts involving these grapes starting with the 2026 harvest, roughly 130 growers representing 2,600 acres of Concord grape production in the region have had their agreements terminated. Gillibrand highlighted the potential domino effect across the regional supply chain, warning that farm failures would have "drastic consequences for the producers themselves, other processors, transporters, and equipment manufacturers as well as negatively impacting the economies of small, rural towns across Western New York."
Gillibrand emphasized that consumer demand for grape juice has softened in recent years. That decline, "combined with the year-over-year increase of 53 percent in the Concord grape harvest, would lower commodity prices to a point that would likely force many small farms out of business, and would have negative, far-reaching impacts on the grape markets and local economies of much of Western New York."
Making the case for federal assistance, Gillibrand noted that this is an "opportune" time for USDA to act, adding that bonus buys have proven to be a "successful tool in stabilizing the market, reducing carryover inventory, and providing fresh juice to schoolchildren and families alike."