…this court should—if any other reasonable interpretation of the Act exists—avoid,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown said in his opinion. At the same time, Judge Brown also denied a…
Farm Operations Support Act Aims to Suspend H-2A Wage Increases
…Operations Support Act to address increasing wages for the H-2A program. The legislation would set the AEWR to the December 2022 level for the remainder of the year. For the…
Vidalia Onion Season Date Announced
…Onion Advisory Panel voted April 17 as the 2023 pack date. For more than 80 years, Vidalia onions have been hand-planted, harvested, and cured by growers. The Vidalia Onion Act…
Bill Introduced to Provide Clean Drinking Water for Rural Americans
…introduced the bipartisan Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, or The Healthy H2O Act. Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat and Collins, a Maine Republican, say the bill will provide water testing and…
Week in Review: Groundwater Recharging Made Easier & Biden Budget Highlights Conservation
Governor Gavin Newsom is taking action to put the abundance of floodwater in California to better use through an executive order. President Joe Biden has released the President’s Budget for…
Plant Biostimulant Act: ‘Critically Important’ to Industry
This week the Plant Biostimulant Act of 2023 has been introduced in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation seeks to establish more clarity within the…
Pollinator Habitat Program Awards $12 Million to 10 Projects
…from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The Pollinator Habitat Program (PHP) was established through the Budget Act of 2021, with $15 million being provided to CDFA for…
Organizations Voice Support for Existing Pesticide Law
More than 400 organizations affirmed the support of the pesticide regulatory system under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA, in a letter to lawmakers this week. The…
DAIRY PRIDE Act Reintroduced to Address Labeling of Dairy Alternatives
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators reintroduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act in the Senate on February 28. The move comes on the heels of a recent U.S. Food and Drug…
Agronomic Minute: Protecting Pistachio Orchards from Disease
…the few days of rain, both in the past and upcoming, dormant spores can spread. Warmer temperatures are needed to activate some pathogens. With the colder storms, it’s probably not…
New ‘Product of USA’ Labeling Proposal from USDA
…United States. The issue of labeling products as American-made has been a concern for industry groups for several years. “Our petition filed in 2018 has finally been acted on,” executive…
Agricultural Groups Concerned by Latest H-2A Wage Rules
…to find the workers they need,” said IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. “This is why Congress must act to pass agricultural immigration reform now. America’s agricultural producers simply cannot wait any…
Six GSPs Approved and Another Six Deemed ‘Inadequate’ by DWR
…94 groundwater basins required to submit plans under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Additional plans from 59 high- and medium-priority basins are currently under review. In the latest action,…
Rice Growers Prepare to Receive $250 Million from USDA
…preemptive action to simplify the process. “USDA intends to use the streamlined approach it has utilized on other disaster programs to speed program implementation,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By…