There is plenty of uncertainty in Washington D.C. and across the country about how the Trump Administration will move forward on immigration and enforcement issues following the issuance of several Executive Orders and memoranda by the Department of Homeland Security. Some of the orders and memoranda suggest enforcement efforts may be bolstered in non-border areas. ...
Last Friday, Western Growers teamed with partner Arizona agriculture organizations to host an agricultural tour for a bi-partisan group of legislative interns from the Arizona House and Senate. The tour, which took place at facilities west of downtown Phoenix, is an annual event designed to educate up-and-coming young professionals on the importance of agriculture in ...
On March 17, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a second 60-day stay on the effective date of its final rule, published on December 23, 2016, to allow the importation of fresh lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. No details were provided in ...
Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) announced a 65 percent initial allocation for farmers south of the Delta. The long awaited announcement came almost a month after farmers in other parts of the Central Valley received 100 percent initial allocations. Farmers had hoped this winter’s seemingly endless storms which have filled key storage ...
The Agricultural Personnel Management Association (APMA) will be offering a series of courses in the Napa Valley area designed specifically for agricultural human resources professionals and others who address personnel matters for their company. Classes can be taken individually or as part of a curriculum leading to a certificate and designation. Western Growers is a ...
As reported in Spotlight on March 9, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) temporarily postponed enforcement of a new regulation requiring the tarping of citrus that is being transported in open trucks to prevent the potential spread of the Asian citrus psyllid. Enforcement was delayed to provide the citrus industry with additional time ...
The United Farm Workers of America (UFW) has been ordered to pay $1.2 million in unpaid overtime and other penalties in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of current and former employees. On Monday, Monterey County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wills ruled in favor of about 160 UFW employees, finding that their employer failed to ...
On April 6, 2017, the FDA Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food became effective. With some exceptions, the rule applies to shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers who transport food in the United States by motor or rail vehicle. Shippers, receivers, or carriers that have less than $500,000 in average annual revenue are ...
IRVINE, Calif., (March 22, 2017) — In response to the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation’s initial water allocation announcement of 65% today for farmers south of the Delta served by the federal Central Valley Project, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif issued the following statement: “With record-level precipitation and flooding, and fear of more to ...
Assemblyman Vince Fong representing California 34th which includes most of Bakersfield (Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been paraphrased for clarity and brevity.) Your official bio says that you “wanted to positively affect the region you have always called home.” Where were you born and where were you raised? I am proud to say I ...