UPDATED 4/24: USDA Request for Proposal Now Available. Click here to access the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box website. As part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), regional and local food distributors will be the focal point of USDA’s strategy to purchase and distribute $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat in the ...
In a segment titled, “How the COVID-19 pandemic is sending American agriculture into chaos,” WG President & CEO, Dave Puglia, and WG Member, Jack Vessey of Vessey & Company, appeared on PBS Newshour to discuss the economic impact of the crisis on the fresh produce industry. Highlighting the devastating on-farm consequences of the foodservice collapse, ...
On Monday, a coalition of 150 organizations representing water and agricultural interests urged President Trump to address aging Western water infrastructure in forthcoming COVID-19 relief efforts. “The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of safety and stability provided by domestic food production,” the groups stated in separate letters to Congress and the president. “As this…
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that will, in part, replenish the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), following passage of the bill in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. President Trump has said he will sign the bill into law. We will notify our members when the funding from the $484 billion “Phase 3.5” ...
On Wednesday, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the issuance of new green cards, which applies to those seeking permanent residence in the U.S. The order will last for 60 days, and can be modified during the 60 days or potentially extended at the end of the 60 days. The order will apply ...
Today, a bi-partisan group of 126 members in the U.S. House of Representatives called on President Trump to eliminate payment limits for specialty crops, as well as livestock and dairy producers, before the final Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) details are announced. Last Friday, USDA announced $2.7 billion in funding for the specialty crop industry ...
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is looking to capture the needs in the agricultural sector for PPE and sanitation supplies. CDFA Secretary Karen Ross has made the following appeal to the industry: “Many of you may have already provided this information early in the stay at home order. Your feedback contributed to ...
An illuminating op-ed on agriculture and the COVID-19 pandemic penned by Albert Keck, WG Sr. Vice Chairman and President of Hadley Date Gardens, Albert Keck, was published in The Desert Sun this week. In the op-ed, Keck details the value of agriculture to the economy of the Coachella Valley and the food security of our ...
FDA has released two new documents on Food Safety and COVID-19. What to Do if You Have COVID-19 Confirmed Positive or Exposed Workers This summary, derived from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, outlines key steps that employers and workers can take to help stay open, prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19, ...
Please review the most recent updates on the COVID-19 small business (less than 500 employees) loan programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Update: Monday, April 27 As of 7:30 a.m. PT, Monday, April 27, the SBA has resumed accepting PPP applications from participating lenders. The loans are processed ...
USDA has announced the publication of a Request for Proposal for the Farmers to Families Food Box Purchase Program. As part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), distributors and wholesalers will contract with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Commodity Procurement Program to provide pre-approved boxes of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to ...
Today, WG President and CEO, Dave Puglia, appeared on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom with Sandra Smith to discuss the ripple effects of the collapse of the foodservice sector on the fresh produce industry. “The loss of the restaurant sector really threw a grenade in the middle of our food supply chain,” Puglia noted at the ...
On Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress that Canada and Mexico have completed their domestic procedures to implement the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will enter into force on July 1, 2020. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), welcomed the notification, stating: “In the midst of this pandemic, North America…
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register a final rule to replace the Obama administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The rule, which defines the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act, is effective June 22, and has been named ...
Yesterday, Western Growers joined a group of 38 agriculture organizations in sending a letter to congressional leaders requesting changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sectors received only 1.3 percent of the original $349 billion in approved funding. The letter requests several changes for agriculture to fully participate in the SBA ...
Last Friday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy led a group of 120 House Republicans in calling on President Trump to eliminate payment limits prior to implementing the direct payment portion of the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). While $2.1 billion has been allocated to the specialty crop industry for direct payments to producers, payments ...
With the steady stream of new information and guidance still coming out from government agencies, WG has redesigned our COVID-19 Resources Page to make it easier for our members to navigate and access the materials relevant to their business operations. Visit the newly-redesigned WG COVID-19 Resources Page. The resources page has specific sections on the ...
This Friday, May 1st, at 1:00 p.m. PT, WG, in partnership with alliantgroup Washington insiders, will present a live webinar, moderated by Dennis Nuxoll, Western Growers Vice President of Government Affairs. Mr. Nuxoll will be joined by Mike Johanns, former Secretary of Agriculture, Rick Lazio, former Congressman, and Dean Zerbe, former Senior Counsel to the ...
Today, the Treasury Department published an interim final rule expanding the time frame seasonal employers can use to calculate maximum loan amounts under the small business Paycheck Protection Program. Under the PPP, the size of the loan an employer is eligible for is tied to their average payroll. Initially, this was calculated using the average ...
On Wednesday, Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $15 million campaign to expand the Farm to Family Program, a partnership between CDFA and the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) to facilitate food donations from farmers and ranchers by supporting food production, processing and distribution of the food supply chain. To jumpstart the $15 million ...