03/18/2026
To put the impact in perspective, this market loss is 15,000-20,000 Tons of Concord and Niagra production or, 30-40 Million pounds. This is greater than 10% of the nearly 200,000 Tons produced in our region each year. Consumer demand decreases and increased production levels, along with corporate strategy, competing markets and tariff strains on exports mean very bad news for a large number of local farmers. We spent over a decade working to get whole milk back in our schools to drive wholesome and healthy habits for our nation's children, which in time, will help our dairy industry that suffered the same consequences of the same issues here in our region and across the US. Let's get to work on putting American grown and processed grape juice in our schools next on the priority list! Domestic food production is a matter of national security and the future of our food system.
The Lake Erie grape belt is one of the few regions in the United States you can grow concord grapes, with hundreds of farms using the land to support their livelihood. But this week, local grape gr…
