{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-on-annual-motorcycle-tour-presses-for-passage-of-his-swat-act-to-address-invasive-fly-hurting-michigan-fruit-growers", "PHOTOS: Peters Stops in Traverse City on Annual Motorcycle Tour, Presses for Passage of His SWAT Act to Address Invasive Fly Hurting Michigan Fruit Growers", "2023-08-16", "2023", "2023-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "TRAVERSE CITY, MI \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) stopped in Traverse City today as part of his annual motorcycle tour across Michigan.\n\nOn his \u201cPaving the Way for Michigan\u2019s Future\u201d tour, Peters visited Michigan State University\u2019s Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center and met with local cherry growers to press for passage of his bipartisan SWAT Act in the upcoming farm bill. Peters\u2019 SWAT Act would help reduce the spread of spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD is an invasive insect that continues to hurt growers in Michigan and across the country by laying their eggs in soft-skinned fruit crops such as cherries and blueberries, making crop loads unsellable. Peters\u2019 Spotted Wing Abatement Trust (SWAT) Act would establish a fund managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen efforts that mitigate the spread of this invasive pest, helping to keep costs down for growers and prevent their crops from being spoiled in the first place.\n\nDuring the stop, Peters toured the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center and met with Michigan State University horticulturalist Dr. Nikki Rothwell and staff to learn about the center\u2019s ongoing efforts to reduce spotted wing drosophila in Michigan cherry orchards. Peters also heard from local cherry growers about how SWD is impacting their crops, businesses, and livelihoods. Along with Dr. Rothwell, Peters was joined at the event by Cherry Ke, Inc. Vice President Nels Veliquette, King Orchards Vice President Juliette King-McAvoy, and Ben LaCross, Operations Manager for LaCross Farms in Leelanau County and District 9 Director for the Michigan Farm Bureau Board of Directors.\n\n\u201cProtecting Michigan\u2019s cherry industry and the ability of our growers to stay competitive is a top priority,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cThat\u2019s why after hearing from growers across our state that these invasive flies are threatening their businesses and livelihoods, I wanted to come here to Traverse City to see firsthand this local effort to develop tools to help mitigate their spread. In the U.S. Senate, I introduced the SWAT Act to support and advance these efforts, and I\u2019ll keep fighting to see it signed into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cMichigan growers are resilient, but they need our help to prevent damage from invasive pests like the Spotted Wing Drosophila,\u201d said Dr. Nikki Rothwell, MSU Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center coordinator, and Educator. \u201cSenator Peters\u2019 SWAT Act would help increase research into these pests and provide growers with the resources they need to protect their crops. I\u2019m proud to support this bill and look forward to continuing to work with Senator Peters to mitigate the spread of SWD in our region.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Peters has been a longtime advocate for Michigan cherry growers, I know this because I\u2019ve worked closely with him over the years on efforts important to keeping Michigan\u2019s cherry industry competitive on the world stage,\u201d said Nels Veliquette, Vice President and CFO of Cherry Ke, Inc. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to Senator Peters for his most recent efforts through the SWAT Act to address an invasive species that threatens not only our cherry crops but the livelihoods of all berry producers here in Michigan.\u201d\n\n\u201cSpotted wing drosophila have impacted our orchard and threatened our ability to bring a quality crop to harvest with minimal effect on the environment,\u201d said Juliette King McAvoy of King Orchards. \u201cThank you Senator Peters for your work to help us protect our crops, the environment and mitigate this invasive pest.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Peters\u2019 bipartisan SWAT Act will help ensure we\u2019re prepared and equipped to reduce the population of spotted wing drosophila in Michigan,\u201d said Ben LaCross, a Leelanau County cherry grower and a member of the Michigan Farm Bureau board of directors. \u201cMichigan farmers support this legislation and thank Senator Peters for his continued efforts to support our fruit growers.\u201d\n\nPeters \u2013 an avid and longtime motorcycle rider \u2013 was joined by guest riders on his ride to Traverse City. On his annual tour across Michigan, Peters has made stops in Muskegon, Ironwood, and Escanaba, and will next ride to Bay City, Lansing, and Novi.\n\nTo download photos from the visit, click here or on the images below. Images are courtesy of Senator Peters\u2019 office.\n\nPeters has previously fought to support growers in Michigan and across the country by strengthening our defenses against invasive species. In 2020, Peters\u2019 bipartisan legislation to address the shortage of agricultural inspectors who protect the nation\u2019s food supply and agricultural industry at the border was signed into law. Peters also has led the charge to level the playing field with his bipartisan Self Initiation Trade Enforcement Actto help small- and medium-sized businesses negatively impacted by unfair trade practices from foreign countries, including Michigan cherry growers hurt by dumping and subsidies on imported goods. Peters has raised this issue with President Biden, Biden Administration officials, and the previous Administration. Recently, after a push by Peters, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced it would start tracking foreign imports of tart cherry juice and tart cherry juice concentrate to accurately measure the impact of this trade on Michigan\u2019s tart cherry industry. This decision came after Peters led a similar effort in 2020 that resulted in the ITC beginning to collect additional statistical information on dried cherry imports.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-on-annual-motorcycle-tour-presses-for-passage-of-his-swat-act-to-address-invasive-fly-hurting-michigan-fruit-growers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9085787460207939, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}