Three Democratic lawmakers from California have just presented new immigration legislation that would create an opportunity for undocumented agricultural workers to apply for legal status. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congressman Jimmy …
Longest Recorded Government Shutdown Impacting Key Ag Programs
As the government shutdown continues, it has now officially reached an unfortunate milestone as being the longest shutdown ever recorded. As lawmakers continue to disagree about funding priorities many analysts …
FSA Offices Reopen for Three Days While Government Shutdown Continues
Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices have been closed for the duration of the government shutdown, however, FSA offices will be reopening for a brief period after a recent announcement …
Food Safety Inspections Resuming Amid Government Shutdown
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will resume food safety inspections for higher-risk foods such as cheese and seafood after briefly stopping routine inspections because of the government shutdown. …
How Ag is Affected by Governor Newsom’s Budget
Newly sworn in California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced his first budget proposal; a record-setting $209 billion, with $144 billion in general fund spending. As the state sits on a …
Government Shutdown Puts Pause on Opening New Markets
Many distinguished guests made their way to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. Guests included state representatives, USDA officials, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, President Donald Trump. Many of them …
Crop Year 2017 Demonstrated Growth for California Agriculture
California farmers and ranchers saw some growth for the crop year 2017, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Review that was recently released. The total value of sales improved by …
Chinese Trade Conditions May Be Poised to Improve
Chinese trade conditions may be showing signs of improvement as officials from the U.S. and China agree to another round of trade negotiations at the end of the month. The …
Plenty of Agriculture Trade Opportunities for U.S. and Europe
There continues to be abundant opportunities for farm trade between the United States and the European Union despite the omission of agriculture in the European list of negotiating areas on …
Farmers Dealing with Uncertainty as 2019 Starts
The year is opening with uncertainty for farmers and ranchers despite several important developments such as the 2018 Farm Bill and the US-Mexico-Canada-Agreement projected to be finalized once the government …
Farm Bureau Gives Agricultural Trade Outlook for 2019
American Farm Bureau Federation policy experts gave an overview of the issues expected to affect farmers and ranchers in 2019 in a workshop at the organization’s 100th Annual Convention. David …
Navigating the H-2A Guest Worker Program
U.S. farmers and ranchers discussed the current state of regulations governing the farm labor market and efforts to navigate it, at a workshop during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th …
ELD Exemption Remains in Place During Government Shutdown
One of the many impacts of the current government shutdown is that the ELD exemption for livestock haulers will remain in effect until further notice. Transporters of livestock and insects …
Western View: Why Water Management Matters
Erik Wilson is a spray applicator out of Merced, California. He’s well known and respected for his work helping to create the ‘My Job Depends On Ag’ movement. He recently wrote an …