The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture said ‘rumors’ in California hurt the last significant immigration reform opportunity. Following his talk at the Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue fielded …
New Mexican Goods Tariff Tied to Immigration Issue
The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) issued a statement about the President’s threat. PMA stated in a press release, “While there have recently been promising signs that both Mexico and the …
Accident Spurs Lone Worker Protocol Thoughts
An unfortunate accident on a well-known winemaker’s property should have operations talking about one aspect of worker safety. Jackson Family Wines experienced a tragic event last week as one of their long-time employees died …
Farm Bureau Statement on Trump Immigration Reform Proposal
The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “Farm Bureau welcomes President Trump’s focus on fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. However, nowhere is reform …
More CA Farmers Increased Wages to Attract Qualified Farm Labor
In efforts to attract qualified farm labor, California farmers and ranchers have increased their wages due to the chronic employee shortages. In the recent Adapting to Farm Worker Scarcity Survey …
CFBF President: Labor Needs are Greater in California
California Farm Bureau (CFBF) President Jamie Johansson addressed the results of the bureau’s latest survey on farm labor. The data from the survey concluded that the labor shortage has been …
Labor Shortages Continue for California Farms
California farmers and ranchers report that labor shortages continue to be an issue despite multiple efforts to help remedy the problem. The California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) worked with the …
Make the Border Wall an Asset not a Liability
Back when I was growing up in a small town on the Rio Grande, the border with Mexico was just a line in the sand – sometimes a barb wire …
USDA Launches New Farmers.gov Features to Help with H2A Applications, Managing Loans
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for …
AFBF Concerned about Labor, Trade if Border Closed
The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the administration to make sure that any steps undertaken to tighten enforcement at the U.S. border do not create more uncertainty for agricultural …
Blue Card Bill ‘A Step In A Direction’
The proposed Agricultural Worker Program Act will not fix agricultural labor issues in California, but it is a sign of progress. H.R. 641, also known as the ‘Blue Card’ bill, …
Employers Expected to Cooperate with ICE
Assembly Bill 450 originally restricted an employer’s ability to interact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An employer was required to demand a warrant or subpoena before providing any kind …
Nighttime Labor Regulation Language to Be Reviewed in April
Late last year AgNet West reported that new nighttime labor regulation talks that had been going on for several years were quietly moving forward and could be finalized early this …
Further Confusion Surrounding Sick Leave Time
The amount of sick-leave time that needs to be provided by employers with 26 or more employees has been reduced to 28.5 hours, coinciding with the updated workday requirements being …