Western Growers’ members are invited to attend the “Criminal Prosecution for Food Safety Violations and Prop. 65” seminar on May 24 at the WG Center for Innovation & Technology in Salinas, Calif. This seminar will be conducted by attorneys from Alston & Bird LLP who will address concerns about the expanding risk of criminal prosecution ...
Crop protection tools are vital to the economical and safe production of food, as they help farmers efficiently protect against plant diseases, insects, weeds and other pests. But, how has science or other factors impacted their evolution? Crop protection tools support a reliable food supply; with the demand for food increasing, the need for a ...
The State Water Resources Control Board is hosting a workshop on May 17 in Fresno to give growers and others the opportunity to testify on the proposed changes to the existing Irrigated Lands Program for growers in the Central Valley region. This Draft Order, if adopted, would become a statewide agricultural order. The proposed order ...
Crop protection tools are vital to the economical and safe production of food, as they help farmers efficiently protect against plant diseases, insects, weeds and other pests. But, how has science or other factors impacted their evolution? Crop protection tools support a reliable food supply; with the demand for food increasing, the need for a ...
As summer approaches, it is important to revisit Cal/OSHA regulations to help protect outdoor workers against heat-related illness and death. The State Compensation Insurance Fund has partnered with Cal/OSHA to offer Heat Illness Prevention Seminars free to the public. The seminars will cover the requirements employers must meet to protect outdoor workers from heat illness ...
The Department of Labor has just announced a change to their normal process for injury and illness data. Beginning in July of 2017, all companies with 250 or more employees will be required to report their injury and illness data directly to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The agency will then post this ...
Western Growers proudly welcomes TerrAvion and Trace Genomics as the two newest startup companies in the Center for Innovation & Technology in Salinas, Calif. The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) opened its doors in December 2015 with six start-up companies and now has 15 companies working toward developing innovative solutions to help ...
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be hosting two public meetings next week to discuss agricultural innovation and food waste and has tapped Western Growers’ industry experts to serve as speakers. Western Growers Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Science & Technology Hank Giclas and companies participating in the Western Growers Center for ...
The Second Annual Forbes AgTech Summit will bring together over 500 of the brightest minds, from global agriculture and Silicon Valley, to help tackle the world’s most critical challenges in agriculture. The event will showcase the latest innovations for growers, investors and stakeholders, as well as foster lively debate and generate rich networking opportunities. As ...
Conservis will lead a Tech Talk webinar on June 7 to discuss how its enterprise ag platform gives tree nut growers more control to make cost, production and investment decisions. The platform provides owners and operators real-time control—from planning, purchasing, planting through harvesting and inventory management. During the Tech Talk, the company will demonstrate how ...
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Administrative Law Judge sided with EPA in a case which could force Bayer to cancel all uses of flubendiamide, or Belt, in the United States. The judge’s initial decision will now be reviewed by the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) and will not be considered final until the EAB issues ...
The second year of the 2015-2016 California legislative session has advanced beyond the June 3rd deadline for bills to be voted out of their house of origin. Several key bills that Western Growers has been actively lobbying are updated below. AB 2405 (Gatto, D-Silver Lake) – Oppose: This bill would have mandated California employers to ...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency is hosting two workshops—scheduled for Monday, June 13 (Oxnard, Calif.) and Tuesday, June 14 (Santa Maria, Calif.)—to provide an overview of the strawberry crop insurance program. Growers are invited to participate in discussions regarding the extension and further development of the Strawberry Crop Insurance Program, as well…
The Second Annual Forbes AgTech Summit will bring together over 500 of the brightest minds, from global agriculture and Silicon Valley, to help tackle the world’s most critical challenges in agriculture. The event will showcase the latest innovations for growers, investors and stakeholders, as well as foster lively debate and generate rich networking opportunities. As ...
The Western Governors’ Association unanimously approved a reform resolution this week detailing how the Endangered Species Act (ESA) should be amended to provide clearer recovery goals for listed species and bolster the role of state/local governments in species conservation and ESA implementation. The ESA reform recommendations are the culmination of a yearlong, bipartisan effort to ...
Food waste in the 21st century is difficult to conceive but the issue is becoming more prevalent as the population increases. With the global population expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, we will need to increase our food supply by 70 percent. Key challenges to accomplishing this include land and water availability and the ...
The Second Annual Forbes AgTech Summit will bring together over 500 of the brightest minds, from global agriculture and Silicon Valley, to help tackle the world’s most critical challenges in agriculture. The event will showcase the latest innovations for growers, investors and stakeholders, as well as foster lively debate and generate rich networking opportunities. As ...
With 60,000 job openings annually in agriculture and only 35,000 graduates available to fill them, Western Growers is helping fill the workforce gap with its newly-launched Careers in Ag Program. This career pathways program introduces college students to the educational pathways—courses, majors, internships—that lead to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers within…
The produce industry has come together to provide a FREE webinar on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) final rule for Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. This webinar briefing will be conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The new rule is aimed at preventing intentional adulteration from acts intended ...
Western Growers has revamped its “Produce Price Index” (PPI) website to now easily obtain fresh produce pricing comparisons throughout the nation. In an effort to educate consumers and stakeholders on how much farmers receive for their products, the PPI details the selling price at the farm, the average cost charged at major retail stores and ...