Posts By: Cory Lunde

Governor Brown, Labor Unions Announce Minimum Wage Deal

Yesterday, Governor Brown, select members of the Legislature and labor union leaders announced an agreement to make California the first state in the nation to reach the $15 per hour minimum wage mark. This deal comes on the heels of a 2013 law that raised the minimum wage from $8 to $10 per hour effective ...

Giclas and Taylor Address Attendees at ACWA Spring Conference

Today, two of Western Growers’ own shared the stage during a luncheon presentation at the Association of California Water Agencies’ (ACWA) 2016 Spring Conference & Exhibition in Monterey, Calif. Hundreds of local water leaders were on hand to witness a joint-keynote address given by Hank Giclas, Western Growers Senior Vice President, and Bruce Taylor, Taylor ...

Western Growers Brings Ag Industry Needs Before Federal Policymakers

Today, the Western Growers Board of Directors gathered in annual session to bring the needs of the fresh produce industry before administrative officials and Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C. In speaking on the importance of the yearly fly-in, Chairman Larry Cox [Lawrence Cox Ranches; Brawley, CA] stated, “While Western Growers’ staff works admirably and effectively ...

Annual D.C. Board Fly-In Concludes with Impactful Meetings

The Western Growers Board of Directors concluded their annual Washington, D.C., fly-in this afternoon following a round of morning meetings at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel. Most critical was a question and answer session with Estevan Lopez, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior. The topic of conversation centered around the Bureau’s management ...

On “Corporate Agriculture” and Other Loaded Language

George Skelton has been writing for the L.A. Times since before many of his readers first picked up a newspaper. As both a White House reporter and columnist, he has developed a reputation as one of the keener observers of California government and politics. His columns are generally insightful. His recent column about farms and ...

New Video Says Other Stressors, Not Pumps, Leading to Delta Smelt Decline

Western Growers has launched a second video aimed at bringing greater public attention to the regulatory exacerbation of California’s drought and its devastating impact on thousands of farms and hundreds of rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley. Released in March as part of a larger #lostCAwater digital media strategy – which included the development ...

Coalition Calls for Changes to Regulations on Delta Predators

Western Growers and a coalition of business and water organizations has submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to decrease size limits and increase bag limits for black bass and striped bass in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its tributaries. In an effort to protect the Delta smelt and salmon, government regulators ...

Wasted Water, Wasted Opportunity

Following recent reports that San Luis Reservoir is at its lowest level in 27 years – just 10 percent of its two million acre-feet capacity – Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif took the opportunity to pen an open letter to President Obama and Governor Brown reminding them of the role their agencies have ...

Study Finds Fear-based Marketing Negatively Impacts Produce Consumption

A new peer-reviewed study published in Nutrition Today shows that safety fears related to pesticide residues may be a barrier to fruit and vegetable consumption among low income consumers. Researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Center for Nutrition Research found that scientifically inaccurate messages characterizing certain non-organic produce items as having higher pesticide…

Western Growers Announces Class IV Future Volunteer Leaders

In 2011, Western Growers welcomed its inaugural class of Future Volunteer Leaders. The two-year program is dedicated to developing the next generation of agricultural leaders within our Regular Member companies. Participants in the program have an expressed desire to learn about the federal, state and local public policy issues facing the agriculture and are interested ...

WG Publishes Survey Results of Economic Impact of Minimum Wage, Ag Overtime Laws

Yesterday, Western Growers published its survey indicating that higher minimum wage and agricultural overtime costs will harm the very people that supporters of these measures claimed to be helping: farmworkers. The findings in this report come from an electronic survey of Western Growers’ regular members conducted by the association between October 31st and November 11th, ...

WG Supports California Drought Language in Water Bill

Drought legislation based on a bipartisan agreement between Senator Feinstein and House Majority Leader McCarthy has been included in the FY17 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The WRDA is currently on the floor of the House of Representatives and set for a vote as early as tomorrow (December 7), with the Senate potentially poised to ...

Major Water Bill With Drought Relief Provisions Clears House, Heads To Senate

Earlier today, the House approved a major water bill that includes bipartisan language providing commonsense drought relief to central and southern California. Passed by a significant margin of 360 to 61, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (S. 612) now moves to the Senate for approval. As reported on Tuesday, the drought legislation ...

Western Growers’ Statement on Senate Passage of Water Bill

After the Senate passed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act by a vote of 78 to 21, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif released the following statement: “For the past several years, Californians have looked to Congress to help bring relief to drought-stricken communities up and down the state. We are thankful ...

President Signs Water Bill Into Law, Includes Drought Relief Provisions

In response to President Obama’s signature on the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), Western Growers released the following statement by WG President and CEO Tom Nassif:  “Even though it has taken us a while to get to this point, we are pleased that Congress has finally passed, and the President has signed into ...

Member Input Needed for WG Issues Survey

As part of Western Growers’ ongoing effort to better understand and serve our members’ needs, we invite you to participate in the 2017 WG Issues Survey. The results of the survey will help us prioritize our activities and focus on the products and services of most usefulness to our members. By providing your valuable feedback, ...

WG Requests Suspension on Lemons from Argentina Rule

On December 20, 2016, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a final rule that will allow for the importation of fresh lemons from Argentina. In response, Tom Nassif sent a letter to President-elect Trump’s USDA transition team requesting that the incoming Administration suspend the rule, pending review of the flawed underlying science ...

Nassif Congratulates Perdue on Nomination to Head USDA

President-elect Donald Trump announced today his choice for Secretary of Agriculture, naming former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to the post. Following the announcement, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif released this statement congratulating Governor Perdue on his nomination: “We support the nomination of former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture and…

WG Urges Brown to Intervene in Minimum Flow Standards Proposal Process

Western Growers delivered a letter to Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday, urging the governor to direct the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) “to begin anew” on a proposal that would update minimum flow standards for the Lower San Joaquin River. In the letter, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif calls for a “collaborative ...

Class IV Future Volunteer Leaders Installed

Last Wednesday, February 8, the fourth class of Future Volunteer Leaders assembled at the Western Growers’ Irvine headquarters for the inaugural activities of the two-year networking and leadership development program. Eleven Class IV participants began the three-day program with an introduction to the history and organizational structure of Western Growers, as well as an in-depth ...