WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Trade Commission (ITC) has started an investigation into whether imports of cucumbers and squash are undercutting the profits of domestic growers.

A lot of groups and states are pushing the ITC to do more with perishable commodities, said John Kran, the Michigan Farm Bureau’s national legislative liaison. He said the ITC has agreed to hold hearings about cucumbers and squash. Michigan and some states in the Southeast are the main growers of these products.

“Every situation is a little unique, but the foreign goods coming in are affecting prices growers are getting, whether it’s onions, cucumbers, squash or whatever,” Kran said. “It’s not a new issue, but we’re finally getting the ear of the new administration. It’s possible we could see other crops come up there as well. We’re hoping there can be some movement in this area so growers can finally get some relief.” Kran added that the Biden administration has also encouraged various administrators in the federal government to ‘buy American,’ such as for federal food purchases.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer got the ball rolling in December when he asked the ITC to start an investigation into unfair trade practices related to cucumbers and squash. The departments of agriculture, commerce, and the USTR hosted hearings last year into a possible plan to support prices for American producers of fruits and vegetables. Lighthizer said they received more than 300 written comments and took testimony from over 60 witnesses during two days of hearings.

In another letter to the ITC dated April 6, 30 members of the House of Representatives expressed their support for the investigation. “Seasonal cucumber and squash imports from Mexico continue to dramatically impact U.S. markets and threaten the future of domestic farm production of perishable produce,” the letter states. “Import data from land grant universities and state departments of agriculture affirm that seasonal imported squash and cucumbers negatively impact our vegetable growers, their markets, and communities.”

But not all U.S. growers support the investigation, according to Audrey Sebolt, the horticulture specialist at the Michigan Farm Bureau. That’s because some of the larger growers, for example in California, also have farms in Mexico. Sebolt said she has a little more hope now about the investigation, because recently the Mexican supreme court ruled that U.S. potato growers could export more potatoes to Mexico. But domestic growers aren’t optimistic, she added. “Growers, they don’t ever see us winning a case,” she said. “Plus, it costs so much to bring a case like this.”

Michigan is number one in the country when it comes to production of processed-pickled cucumbers and considered second in production of fresh cucumbers, behind only Florida. Michigan is third in production of fresh summer squash and second in fresh winter squash. Sebolt says that domestic producers have an advantage in that they can get their product to market faster than those that must have their produce shipped from farther away.

The ITC is supposed to present a report on its investigation sometime in December.