California Ag Headlines for September 25

Taylor Hillman General

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Today’s California agriculture headlines include information on S & W Seed’s record revenues, grain bin safety, and the new “Get Crackin'” campaign by Wonderful Pistachios. Sabrina Hill reports.
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S & W Seed company announces some big gains for its fourth quarter and the fiscal year that ended in June. It saw record fourth quarter revenues of $12.7 million, compared to $0.8 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2012; and the Company maintains alfalfa seed production and sourcing estimates of 18 to 19 million pounds for the calendar 2013 harvest cycles, significantly up from S&W’s prior year production of 2.8 million pounds. S&W Seed Company is a global agricultural company, headquartered in California’s Central Valley. It is the largest producer of non-dormant, alfalfa seed varieties in the world, with production operations in the San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys, as well as in South Australia.

The California Department of Industrial Relation’s (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (commonly known as Cal/OSHA) is joining Federal OSHA in reminding agricultural employers of the hazards of confined spaces including grain handling operations at farms. Cal/OSHA initiated an ongoing Special Emphasis Program on Confined Spaces back in January 2012, featuring educational outreach to employers and increased enforcement in general industry, construction and agriculture.

Cal/Osha’s acting chief Juliann Sum says although California has not seen as many grain bin injuries as other states, it is still a huge concern.

For more resources on creating safe working conditions in confined spaces, or to learn more about California workplace health and safety standards visit Cal/OSHA’s website by clicking here.

You’ve probably seen the commercials, with dancing pistachios or celebrities cracking open the nuts. Wonderful Pistachios is kicking-off the fifth season of its iconic “Get Crackin'” campaign, celebrating the unique and unusual ways pop culture icons crack open a pistachio. This year’s line-up includes five-time NBA champion, Basketball Hall of Famer, and peace advocate Dennis Rodman; Founder of the Prancercise fitness regimen-turned-viral-video Joanna Rohrback; a pistachio-loving elephant; legendary gorilla, Kong Kong; and the chilling shower scene from Psycho.

Former Get Crackin’ cast mates include: “The Jersey Shore’s” Snooki, Snoop Lion, and internet sensations PSY, Honey Badger and Keyboard Cat.

Wonderful Pistachios are grown in Lost Hills, California and packaged by Paramount Farms, which is headquartered in Los Angeles.

To see this season’s Get Crakin spots, click here.