Jul 6, 2021

President Biden Visits USApple member; hears about challenges facing growers

During a stop in northern Michigan on July 4, President Joe Biden visited grower and former U.S. Apple Association Young Apple Leader Juliette King McAvoy of King Orchards in Central Lake.

Joining the president were Michigan Gove Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters. They talked about issues facing specialty crops: a changing climate, trade issues and labor. The president also met with the orchard’s cherry pickers. According to McAvoy, Biden was receptive and engaged in learning more about the challenges growers are currently facing.

“It is heartening to see the president and Senators Stabenow and Peters taking time over the July Fourth weekend to meet with our growers to hear about the significant challenges they are facing,” USApple President and CEO Jim Bair said in a news release. “Continuous labor, export and weather struggles are making a tough job even more difficult. We are encouraged that the administration wanted to hear about the struggles first-hand.”

King Orchards is a family farm that grows more than 140 acres of fruits, including apples, cherries, peaches, pears and plums. First Lady Jill Biden visited the orchard previously, during the presidential campaign and apple harvest.

President Joe Biden, Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discuss challenges facing growers with USApple member Julliette King McAvoy of King Orchards in Central Lake, Michigan. Photo Credit: Beth Price Photogrphy