Posts By: Stephanie Metzinger
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WG Staff Thanks Arizona Key Influencers with Farm Fresh Holiday Baskets
This week, Western Growers staff presented holiday gift baskets to the Speaker of the House David Gowan, Senate President Andy Biggs and Arizona Department of Agriculture Director Mark Killian to thank them for their generous support of the Arizona’s fresh produce industry. Each basket was filled with delicious, Arizona grown produce. (Pictured above is Arizona ...
World Agri-Tech Summit to Discuss Sustainable Agricultural Technology
Western Growers invites you to attend the World Agri-Tech Investment Summit in San Francisco on March 16-17, 2016. The summit will bring together agribusiness leaders, agtech innovation drivers, venture capital investors and technology developers from around the world to discuss the future of agriculture and develop ideas to achieve transformational change in the industry. The ...
HR 102: Labor and Employment Laws for Agriculture
Scott Wilson, an employment law attorney, will provide an overview of the California and Federal labor and employment laws affecting agriculture, including wage and hour, harassment and discrimination, farm labor contractor regulation, union organizing and mandatory leaves of absence on Tuesday. LOCATION San Diego County Farm Bureau 1670 E Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92027 DATE & ...
Kerb SC Now Registered for Use on Leaf Lettuce
Western Growers is pleased to bring forward good news on the availability of key crop protection materials. Kerb SC Herbicide is now, once again, federally registered for use on leaf lettuce, and labels are available in both California and Arizona. “Western Growers has been working to make this use available for several years and we ...
Congress Expected to Take Up Spending Package Tomorrow
Early yesterday morning, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees filed a $1.15 trillion Omnibus spending bill for the remaining ten months of FY 2016 ending September 30, 2016. The bill includes funding for the 12 annual appropriations bills and reflects the increased domestic discretionary funding provided by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, enacted on November 2.…
New H-2A Wage Rates in Effect TODAY
Today, December 22, 2015, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) issued its Federal Register Notice to announce the 2016 Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs). The notice applies to the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H–2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services. AEWRs are the minimum wage…
Webinar Tomorrow on How Technology Can Assist with Affordable Housing for Farmworkers
Tomorrow’s Lunch and Learn Webinar will highlight technological advancements that have the potential to offer affordable net zero energy homes for farmworkers. Jason Resnick, Western Growers’ vice president and general counsel, will provide an overview of the current housing requirements for farmworkers under H-2A visas. He will also share the challenges and possible solutions associated…
Inteligistics Kicks Off WGCIT’s Tech Talk Series
The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) kicked off its Tech Talk Series last night with an interactive workshop that was jammed-packed with information and tips on enhancing the Cold Chain process. Inteligistics—one of the 10 resident start-up companies in the WGCIT—led the event, teaching nearly 30 participants how to improve operational efficiency ...
February 29 Lunch & Learn Webinar — Are you FSMA Ready? Part 2
The FDA’s Preventive Control Rule went into effect November 16, 2015, as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This new rule makes current Good Manufacturing Practices mandatory and establishes new standards for Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls for human food. Some companies will need to be in compliance as soon as September ...
IRS Extends Forms 1094 and 1095 Filing Deadlines
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released notice yesterday (Notice 2016-4) that it is extending the 2015 tax year filing deadlines for health benefits reporting required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This guidance applies to filings required by both small and/or applicable large self-funded employers, Forms 1094-B and 1095-B and Forms 1094-C and 1095-C respectively. ...
AgChat Foundation Western Regional AgVocacy Conference
The gap between consumers and factual information about the food they consume can be daunting at times. The Western Regional AgVocacy conference—scheduled for Feb. 19-20 in Reno, NV—will provide tangible take-aways, an opportunity to learn more about consumers’ viewpoints and a support system with fellow western U.S. farmers and ranchers. The event session will focus ...
OSHA Discloses Top Ten Violation Categories of 2015
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently identified the 10 most serious cited violations for 2015. Although some of these have little to do with agriculture, a number of them do occur with some frequency in farming operations. Fall protection was the most frequently cited serious accident with approximately 6,000 violations nationwide, while scaffolding ...
Workers’ Compensation Costs Rising Due to ACA
Although the full impact of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still not being felt, there are indications that a side effect of the Act is rising costs for workers’ compensation coverage. The ACA was passed five years ago, but many of the more demanding portions of the Act were not in ...
February 18 — Annual Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture
Governor John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado State University, are set to host the 25th annual Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture on February 18 in Denver. The focus of the 2016 Governor’s Ag Forum will be “The Next Generation of Agriculture” and will ...
Equal Employment Opportunity Claims Among the Highest in California
In a report released last month, California was among the states where Equal Employment Opportunity charges are most likely to be filed and training needs are the highest. The EEOC–Initiated Litigation report was co-authored by Gerald Maatman, Jr., an attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago and New York City. Some key results are as follows: ...
Western Growers Hires David Duvall to Bolster Insurance Program Development
With a 30-year track record of developing innovative insurance-based solutions, David Duvall joins the Western Growers insurance services team as Program Development Director. In this role, Duvall is responsible for developing association-based property and casualty solutions for our members. Full press release. For more information, please contact Jeff Gullickson at (949) 885-2351.
Lunch & Learn Webinar on Feb 29 — Are you FSMA Ready? Part 2
The FDA’s Preventive Control Rule went into effect November 16, 2015, as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This new rule makes current Good Manufacturing Practices mandatory and establishes new standards for Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls for human food. Some companies will need to be in compliance as soon as September ...
Crop Insurance Final Sales Dates Approaching – Protect Yourself from El Nino
As the El Nino rains begin to intensify, growers may want to consider purchasing crop insurance to protect against the potential for flooding, freezing and other weather related perils. Crop insurance can provide protection for many weather caused losses. Since the federal government subsidizes some of the cost of crop insurance, it has become very ...
Giclas, Resnick Lead Discussions during Ag Conferences in Colorado
This week, Western Growers members and senior staff led discussions in Colorado about the future success of the agriculture industry in that state. Yesterday, the 2nd Annual Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) Conference kicked off with opening remarks from Robert Sakata, president of the CFVGA and owner of Sakata Farms, a Western Growers ...