The California Department of Food and Agriculture has regulatory information for the certification of cannabis that is comparable to the National Organic Program. The OCal Program is a statewide certification …
FDA Extends Comment Period for Food Safety Rule Exemption
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the comment period for provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule. The FDA initially issued a request for information back …
Proposed Neonicotinoid Mitigations Are Moving Forward
The proposed neonicotinoids mitigations from that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) are moving forward. It has been a lengthy process for DPR to address the material. The comment …
EPA Finalized Rule for Exclusion Zones for Pesticide Applications
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule changing exclusion zones for pesticide applications. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler recently announced that the agency had provided some clarification for Application Exclusion …
EPA Approves New Dicamba Registrations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the approval of new dicamba registrations. New five-year registrations have been approved for two over-the-top (OTT) dicamba products. EPA also extended the registration for …
Industry Groups Encourage Mandatory Labeling for Cell-Based Meat
Industry groups are encouraging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the mandatory labeling of cell-based meat. The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and the Alliance for Meat, Poultry, …
Prop 12 Challenge Meets Defeat in Appeal Court
The 9 circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected a challenge to California’s Proposition 12. Prop 12 prohibits the sale of veal, pork, and eggs from animals that are not raised …
FDA Proposes Food Traceability Rule as Part of FSMA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new food traceability rule to improve recordkeeping standards for multiple commodities. The rule is being proposed as part of the …
Housing for the Harvest Helps Mitigate Spread of COVID-19
The Housing for the Harvest program helps mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amongst farmworkers. This housing program was created by Governor Gavin Newsom in July to provide temporary housing for …
Bilingual SGMA Video Series to Foster Better Understanding
State and local agencies are continuing to work to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). With SGMA’s far-reaching implications, Ph.D. Candidate at UC Merced, Vicky Espinoza has created a …
State Helps Supply Ag Industry with Much Needed N95 Respirators
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been instrumental in helping farmers and ranchers acquire N95 respirators. CDFA has been distributing the respirators to agricultural commissioners throughout the …
Industry Groups Seek Temporary Relief from Smoke Regulation
A diverse coalition of industry groups is seeking immediate relief for some of the provisions of the wildfire smoke regulation. In a letter addressed to Governor Gavin Newsom, the signatories …
ESA to Potentially Reflect A New ‘Habitat’ Definition Under Proposal
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed a rule to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with a new ‘habitat’ definition. The proposed rule is currently available for …
Application Tips for Limiting Urban Complaints
As AgNet West has reported, a side effect of the COVID-19 social distancing advisories has been an uptick in complaints about agriculture applications. Agriculture Commissioners’ offices are getting calls about …