california

USDA releases Farm Labor Survey, previews AEWR rate increases
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a preview Feb. 11 of what the 2021 H-2A wage rates will look like. USDA released its Farm Labor Surve... READ MORE »

BioConsortia expanding R&D labs with new California facility
BioConsortia, a microbial solutions company that improves plant phenotypes and increase crop yields with reduced chemical and fertilizer inputs, is an... READ MORE »
Grimmway/Cal-Organic donates $5 million to Cal Poly for organic farming research
Grimmway Farms, owner of Cal-Organic, has made a $5 million donation to Cal Poly to expand organic farming and soil health research. According to a n... READ MORE »

Potato Crop Progress: Overall good weather, red potatoes slow to sell
The executive committee of Potatoes USA held a virtual meeting on July 28, during which time the members shared updates on how the 2020 potato growing... READ MORE »
California moves forward with chlorpyrifos pesticide ban
The California Environmental Protection Agency has announced that virtually all use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in California will end next year fol... READ MORE »
Agricultural Worker Program Act would create easier path to citizenship
On Jan. 17, U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta, D-California, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, D-California, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, introduced... READ MORE »
Fertilizer use, water quality targeted in California grants
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) has awarded over $1.1 million in grant f... READ MORE »
Idaho PCN lawsuit moves forward
U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge has denied a request by the USDA to dismiss a lawsuit by eastern Idaho potato growers seeking to end a quara... READ MORE »