Mass. Congressional Delegation Makes Cranberry Request

Much of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation is pushing Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide direct financial relief to Massachusetts cranberry farmers and for the federal government to buy up surplus supplies of cranberry juice.

In a letter to Perdue, members of the delegation said cranberries were a $99.8 million industry that supported nearly 7,000 jobs as of 2015 and urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to utilize all programs at its disposal to help cranberry farmers.

"While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten jobs and local economies across the country, with some economist reportedly expecting that 'by the end of the month, more than 20 million people will have been thrown out of work, pushing the unemployment rate toward 15 percent,' it is critical that our cranberry growers have the resources they need to keep staff employed on local farms."

The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, as well as U.S. Reps. William Keating, Richard Neal, James McGovern, Stephen Lynch, Joseph Kennedy III, Katherine Clark, and Lori Trahan. 

Information from State House News Service