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Western Growers Women: Effective Employee Performance Management Webinar
With competing demands and constant workplace disruptions, your team looks to you for direction, guidance and inspiration. Discover techniques to coach your team more effectively, shifting them from feeling threatened to feeling challenged and fulfilled. Gain tools to enhance your coaching style, close performance gaps, and build a more competent and efficient workforce. Learn how to ask…
Opinion: Visa Reform Desperately Needed for Ag Workers
In this opinion piece, Dave Puglia, the president and CEO of Western Growers, argues that the nation's food production is vulnerable to indiscriminate immigration sweeps amid congressional inaction on H-2A reforms. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have triggered a hot debate among Republicans over visas for foreign tech workers, but little is being said about the fact that critical aspects of…
USDA Secures $129.2 Million in Emergency Funds to Combat Exotic Fruit Fly Outbreaks
WASHINGTON, January 17, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is using emergency funding to respond to the threats associated with growing outbreaks of exotic fruit flies. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack approved the transfer of $129.2 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS to directly support…
The Wonderful Company Commits $10 Million to LA Fire Relief Efforts
The Wonderful Company today announced it is committing $10 million to fire relief efforts in the Los Angeles area. Immediate donations will support first responders, with plans to expand to broader relief efforts. The company will also match L.A. fire-related donations made by its 10,000 global employees through its giving program or personal contributions. “We are profoundly grateful to…
Western Growers Mourns the Passing of Food Safety Veteran Tony Banegas
Tony Banegas, Vice President of Quality, Food Safety and Industry Relations at Bonduelle Americas, passed away on Dec. 15, 2024. A respected 30-year veteran in food safety, Banegas joined Bonduelle Fresh Americas in 2009, then known as Ready Pac Foods, as National Director of Quality Assurance. Throughout his career, Banegas was deeply involved in numerous Western Growers initiatives and…
SCFBA Seeks Expansion of MASC Program After Specialty Crops Excluded from Year-End Economic Aid Package
Group requests Congressional support for a $3 billion additional investment in USDA’s Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 18, 2024) – In a letter issued to the leaders of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committees, the Co-Chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) expressed their disappointment that specialty crop production…
Fresh Produce Alliance Welcomes Passage of Bill C-280 into Law
You can read the full release here. December 10, 2024 (Ottawa, ON) – Yesterday evening, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), and the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) were thrilled to see Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, pass at third reading in the Canadian…
Driscoll’s CEO Soren Bjorn Joins Western Growers Board of Directors
Western Growers is pleased to announce the appointment of Soren Bjorn, CEO of Driscoll’s, to the Western Growers Board of Directors. Bjorn will be representing District 10, which includes Watsonville, Gilroy, Hollister and Santa Cruz. He succeeds Eric Reiter, who has stepped down due to a realignment of his professional responsibilities and time commitments. Bjorn brings a wealth of…
Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Endangered Species Act Protection for Monarch Butterfly; Urges Increased Public Engagement to Help Save the Species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing protection for one of the nation’s most beloved species -- the monarch butterfly -- and is encouraging the public to be part of its recovery. The Service is seeking public input on a proposal to list the species as threatened with species-specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species…
Western Growers Endorses Rep. Jim Costa for Ranking Member of House Ag Committee
IRVINE, CALIF. (Dec. 10, 2024) - In response to Rep. Jim Costa’s (CA-21) campaign for Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia issued the following statement: “We urge Rep. Jim Costa’s colleagues to select him as Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee for the 119th Congress. A third-generation San Joaquin Valley farmer,…
USDA Launches New Marketing Assistance Program for Specialty Crop Producers – Apply Now
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has introduced a new program that could benefit your organization. The Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program offers $2 billion in funding to help specialty crop producers expand markets and address rising costs. Applications are open Dec. 10, 2024 through Jan. 8, 2025. What is MASC? Funded by the…
Carrot FAQs
Carrots are a widely grown and consumed vegetable in the U.S. with more than 2.4 billion pounds of the carrots consumed produced domestically (83 percent), and 633 million pounds imported (22 percent) (USDA NASS). In terms of production, California leads carrot production with over 80 percent, followed by states such as Washington, Idaho and Wisconsin. In California, carrot planting and…
Specialty Crops Welcome New USDA Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 19, 2024) – The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement in response to the USDA’s Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops initiative announced today. “The last four years have been turbulent for the specialty crop industry due to skyrocketing costs of production inputs, especially labor, as well as competition from imports with…
USDA Announces More than $2 Billion to Strengthen Specialty Crops Sector, Expand Crop Storage for Producers Following 2024 Natural Disasters
Support is available to producers nationwide, and will significantly assist producers of citrus and other specialty crops in the Southeast after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2024 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of new programs that will help farmers who grow fruits, vegetables, and nuts overcome market barriers for their…
USDA Designates Two Arizona Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas for Drought S5859
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a…
CDFA Awards $3 Million To Advance Sustainable Pest Management
SACRAMENTO, October 30, 2024 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is excited to announce $3 million in funding for three projects under the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) grant program. The BIFS program supports the development, demonstration and adoption of effective and economically viable alternative management practices to address critical pest…
Western Growers Announces Results of 2025-2026 Board of Directors Election
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. (Nov. 4, 2024) - Western Growers is pleased to announce the results of the 2025-2026 Western Growers Board of Directors elections. The following members have been elected by the membership to serve a two-year term starting in November 2024 at the 98th Western Growers Annual Meeting: D-1 All Arizona except Yuma County Steve Martori III, Martori Farms D-2 Yuma County…
Specialty Program Group Announces Association with Western Growers Assurance Trust Wholesale Employee Benefits Division
November 4, 2024 – Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG), a leading operator of specialty insurance brokerage, underwriting and consulting facilities announced that it is beginning an association with the wholesale employee benefits division of Western Growers Assurance Trust (WGAT), a premier provider of health insurance and employee benefits solutions tailored to the agricultural…
Hub International Expands Agribusiness Insurance and Risk Solutions with Acquisition of Western Growers Insurance Services in California
Chicago and Irvine, California, November 4, 2024 - Hub International Limited (Hub), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, and Western Growers Association (WG) today announced that Hub has acquired the retail insurance brokerage business of Western Growers Insurance Services (WGIS). The acquisition will enhance Hub’s services in the agribusiness industry and better…
Budget Season Compensation Management Webinar
Planning your budget correctly will save you from having to manage challenges later. That’s easier said than done. Join Karen Timmins, Sr. Vice President of Human Resources for Western Growers, and Greg Manns, Sr. Vice President for Industry Insights, on October 30, 2024, at 11:00 am PT to get expert tips on balancing salaries, bonuses and benefits in a way that integrates with…