Make America Healthy Again Starts with Supporting American Farmers
By Jayme Franklin
I was born and raised in California, where avocados weren’t just another item on the grocery list, they were a staple of everyday life. Today, not much has changed. My family loves avocados, my daughter Vivienne asks for them constantly, and as someone who loves to cook, I love incorporating avocados in every recipe I can.
As a MAHA mom, I care deeply about what I feed my family. That means paying attention not only to nutrition, but also to where our food comes from, how it’s produced, and whether our purchases support the people who grow food right here in America.
That’s why I choose California avocados whenever I can.
California is home to nearly 3,000 avocado growers who contribute roughly $1.5 billion to the state’s economy each year while supporting thousands of American jobs. These family farmers have spent generations producing one of America’s favorite foods, yet today they face a growing threat that deserves far more attention.
In late 2024, the Biden administration ended a longstanding U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection program that placed American inspectors in Mexican avocado orchards. The program, administered through USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), existed to ensure avocados entering the United States were free from destructive agricultural pests such as seed and stem weevils and seed moths.
The decision came after American inspectors were reportedly threatened and assaulted by Mexican criminal organizations.
Rather than maintaining U.S. oversight, responsibility for inspections was handed over to Mexican authorities.
California growers immediately raised concerns.
Without American inspectors on the ground, they argue, the integrity of the inspection process becomes far more vulnerable to corruption. According to industry leaders, there have been past instances of fruit entering the export system from uncertified groves, increasing the risk that dangerous crop pests could make their way into the United States.
Those concerns weren’t hypothetical.
California growers say that shortly after the inspection program ended, increased numbers of destructive weevils were detected at packing facilities—raising alarms that the safeguards protecting American agriculture had weakened.
If invasive pests become established in California’s avocado industry, the consequences could be devastating for American farmers, American consumers, and our domestic food supply.
This issue also highlights a much larger reality that too many Americans overlook.
The majority of Mexican avocados exported to the United States come from the states of Michoacán and Jalisco. For years, numerous government reports, investigative journalists, and researchers have documented how powerful cartels have infiltrated portions of the avocado industry, extorting growers, controlling segments of the supply chain, and using violence and intimidation to maintain their influence.
These are the very same criminal organizations responsible for trafficking fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States—drugs that have contributed to hundreds of thousands of American overdose deaths while fueling violence and instability on both sides of the border.
No one should pretend this is simply about guacamole.
It’s about whether America should continue outsourcing critical parts of our food supply to regions where organized crime exerts significant influence, while simultaneously putting American farmers at a competitive disadvantage.
The Make America Healthy Again movement is about far more than reading ingredient labels or avoiding artificial dyes. It’s about rebuilding a food system that prioritizes transparency, accountability, quality, and American producers.
Healthy food starts with healthy farms.
California’s avocado growers aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking for common sense safeguards to ensure American avocados aren’t endangered by low priced avocado surges from poorly inspected cartel ridden regions in Mexico.
As Americans, we should be proud to support the men and women who grow our food right here at home. Every time we choose American-grown produce, we’re investing in our own farmers, our own communities, and our own economy. We ask so much of our farmers—they work long hours, battle unpredictable weather, rising costs, and increasing regulations to feed this country. The least we can do is choose to support them when we have the opportunity. Buying California avocados isn’t just about purchasing a healthier product; it’s about standing behind American families, protecting American jobs, and ensuring the next generation of farmers can continue producing the food that ends up on our tables.
If we truly believe in Make America Healthy Again and America First, supporting American agriculture isn’t optional, it’s essential.
After graduating from notoriously leftwing UC Berkeley in 2020, Jayme founded The Conservateur to serve and represent conservative women. Jayme’s previous work experience in the conservative movement includes the United States Senate, the Trump Campaign, the Trump White House, and Fox News. Jayme now lives with her husband, Drake Franklin, and their daughter, Vivienne, in Washington, DC.
