…lowering cost and material use, along with helping growers conform to increasing environmental regulations. Almond harvest is just about finished and growers looking to replant for next year have two…
USPOULTRY Foundation Approves Funding for More Avian Influenza Research
…research was approved by the board of directors. USPOULTRY and its Foundation operate an extensive research program incorporating all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. Since the inception…
Goodlatte Guest Worker Bill Up for Committee Vote Wednesday
…vowed to push for a “tight timetable.” The bill, according to Politico, would essentially scrap H-2A in its current form, rename the visa program H-2C and house it within the…
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…
APHIS to Allow the Importation of Fresh Persimmons from New Zealand
…requires orchard certification, orchard pest control, post-harvest safeguards, fruit culling, traceback, and sampling. In addition, the fruit must be treated with hot water or undergo modified atmosphere cold storage to…
Farmers, Ranchers Ready for Long-overdue Immigration Reform
…risk. We cannot afford to see any more of our nation’s food supply lost in the fields. “The Ag Act’s proposed guest worker visa program would bring much-needed improvements to…
Water Board OKs Hike in Water Quality Fees
By Christine Souza To meet budgetary shortfalls affecting water-related programs that require participation by farmers and ranchers, the State Water Resources Control Board approved a rate increase for water-quality related…
Organic Field Crop Production Numbers Rising
…last year. The number of certified acres is up 15 percent to five million acres. Livestock marketed as organic can only consume feeds certified through the USDA’s organic program. That’s…
Rep. Carter Discusses H-2A with Secretary of Labor Acosta
…key areas where they wanted to see regulation reform. Those areas are: Streamline the application process and improve operating efficiencies. Refine domestic recruitment requirement Improve housing availability Changes to program…
“i5k” is for Insects
…lie in the genomes of pests and their hosts. This is where we will find new ways to manage them, explained Kevin Hackett, ARS national program leader for entomology and…
UC ANR and AgStart Receive Funding to Cultivate the VINE
…58 entrepreneurs and their companies. “In 2016, of the 16 entrepreneurial companies that AgStart assisted, eight resided outside our region, and leveraged AgStart’s program to make connections into our Sacramento…
Kiwifruit Supplies Cause Jump in Price
Kiwifruit harvest is just about underway in California and it appears this year’s crop will be down from last season’s 31,324 tons. High temperatures throughout the summer are most likely…
Almond Board: Seeds for Bees
The Almond Board of California is reminding growers about the Seeds for Bees program from Project Apis m. Project Apis m. Director of Pollination Programs, Billy Synk tells us about…
Tomato Crop Coming in Lighter than Expected
By Kevin Hecteman Bringing the 2017 tomato harvest to market has been a process fraught with challenges for growers. “I would say things were very mixed up from the beginning…