The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is calling for increased climate change collaboration. DWR is encouraging more cooperation between federal, state, and local governments in their efforts to address…
Agreement Reaffirms Multi-Agency Commitment to Address Food Waste
A formal agreement was recently renewed between multiple federal agencies in an effort to address food waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and…
Ag Research to Be Expanded Through Strengthened USDA-NASA Partnership
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are strengthening their longstanding partnership. A memorandum of understanding was recently signed that should lead to…
Week in Review: Troubles with Truck Registration, Looking Ahead to Water Management Concerns
…Federal Maritime Commission is well-aware of the issue of export container availability and will be taking any necessary action to remedy the issue. The week’s major headlines can be sent…
New Report Details Findings of Ag Labor Investigations
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) provides in-depth analysis of ag labor investigations over the past twenty years. The Federal Labor Standards Enforcement in Agriculture report notes…
Proposition 12 Challenge Receives State and Federal Support
…the federal government’s programs designed to help those facing hunger, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. At a time when so many are turning…
Rural Broadband Projects to Receive $9.2 Billion from FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be making significant investments in rural broadband projects in the coming years. FCC recently announced that $9.2 billion in awards will be dispersed as…
FMCSA Extends Hours of Service Waivers into 2021
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently made another announcement related to Hours-of-Service (HOS). The FMCSA has issued an extended and expanded national emergency declaration…
FMC Looking at ‘Responsive Actions’ to Address Container Availability
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is well-aware of the issue of export container availability. Over the last several weeks it has been extremely problematic for ag exporters to get their…
Will Water Supply Momentum Pick Back Up With New Administration?
There was some progress on fixing California’s water supply issues before the state legally challenged the outgoing administration. Will that momentum pick back up under the new administration? At the…
Reintroducing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
…also served as Secretary of Agriculture for the entirety of the Obama administration. The selection of Vilsack is being celebrated by several industry groups. “Tom Vilsack understands that the agriculture…
Statewide Quarantine Issued for Organic Fertilizer Product
…multiple locations. The lab analysis was conducted in CDFA’s Center for Analytical Chemistry. CDFA will be working with other state and federal authorities in an ongoing investigation into the matter….
Farmworker Groups Sue Over DOL Decision Regarding Wage Rates
…In the complaint, the groups allege that the wage freeze violates the federal Administrative Procedure Act. The complaint states that California farmworkers will be paid nearly $1 less an hour…
MORE Act Passes House, More Than a Symbolic Victory?
…Representatives – recognize the urgent need to end the federal government’s misguided cannabis prohibition, and begin to right the wrongs of the War on Drugs and its damage to communities…