Agriculture SecretarySonny Perdue and U.S. Department of Agriculture staff are on the road again, visiting farms on the third “Back to Our Roots RV” Tour.
Perdue, whose first-year anniversary in the post comes late this month, has visited numerous fresh produce farms, packinghouses and related facilities across the country, and like previous RV tours, has the produce industry on his traveling agenda.
The tour begins April 3 and wraps up April 6, with stops in Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. One of his first stops will be Mastronardi Produce’s Coldwater, Mich., greenhouse facility. Perdue will tour the Leamington, Ontario-based Mastronardi operation, which first produced tomatoes in 2012, on April 3. Perdue will meet with local media following the tour, according to a news release.
The rest of the week includes visits to a floral greenhouse, a tent manufacturer, university and high school ag programs, a lumber company and state Farm Bureau Federation groups.
Throughout the week, Perdue will hear from local farmers, agriculture students and researchers, business owners and community leaders, according to the news release.
