Labor challenges will get tougher, not easier. That was the message from the opening session of the Sustainable Ag Expo in San Luis Obispo. Agricultural and resource economics expert Dr….
Secretary Perdue Supports Better Guestworker Program
Hillman interviewing Perdue about labor issues. United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue understands the importance of establishing an effective guestworker program and is optimistic about some of the progress…
Ten Things Canada Wants From NAFTA Modernization
…are quite a few items the countries do agree on. Shaun Haney covers Canadian agriculture for the website Real Agriculture Dot Com. He tells Farm Journal’s Ag Web Dot Com…
NAFTA Negotiators Extend Length of Next Round
A Bloomberg report says negotiators discussing the North American Free Trade Agreement will begin next week’s round in Mexico City two days early. The goal is to give themselves more…
Conaway Supports House Guest Worker Bill
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway offered his approval to a bill that would bring reforms to agriculture labor. Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approves the Ag Act, which supporters…
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Lists Farm Bill Priorities
…next farm bill, including a focus on promoting farm cooperatives and “their abilities to enhance competition in the agricultural marketplace by acting as bargaining agents” for cooperative members. The organization…
Building Your Own No Dig Garden Bed
…building one. The easiest and least labor-intensive method is sheet mulching – or the lasagna method. Layer upon layer of organic material atop the soil. This creates a raised bed…
California Labor Shortages Detailed in Survey
…69 percent reporting problems with acquiring sufficient labor. The shortages were seen predominately in crops that require a significant amount of hand labor. The survey participants were comprised of a…
NAFTA Talks Turn to Agriculture, Dairy
The U.S. wants to reverse Canada’s dairy supply management system as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation. U.S. negotiators centered on the agriculture chapter of NAFTA…
Trump Calls Trudeau a Friend During NAFTA Talks
…The American Farm Bureau Federation this week joined Farmers for Free Trade to defend the agreement. The agenda for the current round of negotiations includes discussions on financial services, labor…
California Benefits from Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently announced the funding allotments for the 2017 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. California was provided with $19.2 million from the nearly $60.6 million…
Agriculture Groups Support Farm Guest Worker Bill
Agriculture groups are expressing support for the Agricultural Guestworker Act of 2017. The bill would create an H-2C visa program that will allow American farmers, packers and processors access to…
Farmers, Ranchers Ready for Long-overdue Immigration Reform
…all U.S. agriculture. “Farm Bureau applauds Rep. Goodlatte for his leadership on this legislation and looks forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to solve agriculture’s…
Packer Capacity to Keep Up With Expanding Beef Herd
…Amen, an animal protein economist at CoBank, said over the last three years, the expansion has been the most aggressive on record. He says, “Recent slaughter numbers and the cattle…