Detention; a word associated with childhood pranks, the principal’s office, guilt, and remorse. In a similar fashion, receiving notice from the United States (US) government that your facility’s products have been detained can also trigger those negative childhood emotions. FDA Detention Explained Detention occurs when products entering the US are refused entry; either by the US Food & Drug Administration …

In my role, I routinely work with facilities pursuing a third-party food safety certification audit for the first time. After four years of assisting and educating people about the audit process, I have noticed that you can recognize early on whether a company’s pursuit is focused more on obtaining the necessary certificate or in ensuring that their products are safe. …

Introducing the Business Development Team The Safe Food Alliance team is proud to introduce the newest additions to the family. Annette Magee, Juan M. Sanchez, and Joseph Nicholl now represent our Business Development team with Safe Food Alliance. Each member brings with them a unique set of skills which make them a well-rounded team ready to serve the needs of …

Exeter, CA, February 11, 2019 – Temperatures once again fell below freezing across the Central Valley citrus belt last night with overnight lows around 28 in the coldest areas. Growers report running wind machines in order to raise grove temperatures as much as 3-5 degrees to prevent freeze damage. While the temperatureswere within manageable ranges, there is some concern that …

Recognizing the failure of the existing biological opinions issued a decade ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Delta smelt and by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for salmon, the Bureau of Reclamation released a new biological assessment which serves as the basis for new biological opinions that will be released within 135 days. The Biological …

Global warming and changes in the amount – and location – of water, are key factors in the need to continue crop breeding programs. In addition, there are many diseases that affect crop yield and quality. We need to continue breeding new disease resistant crop varieties to ensure a healthy, adequate food supply. Below are examples of breeding programs at …

UC Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist Jeff Mitchell is issuing a standing invitation to the public to visit the site of an ongoing conservation agriculture research project and see for themselves the results of long-term soil-building practices. “Every Friday morning from 9 o’clock till noon, beginning in February and going through June, I invite folks to come to the project …

Hearing will be held February 27-28, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand while waters are protected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) are moving to the next steps in proposing a new definition of …

Farm Bill implementation high on list for Organic Trade Association fly-in Twenty-two farmer members of the Organic Trade Association’s Farmers Advisory Council, a national coalition of organic farmers and organic farming organizations representing nearly 8,000 organic farms, will come to Washington on Feb. 5 and 6 to meet with new and incumbent members of Congress, to familiarize the freshmen lawmakers …

The Bureau of Reclamation released late last week the Biological Assessment for the re-initiation of consultation on the coordinated long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. The document was transmitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service for consideration in developing new biological opinions covering CVP and SWP operations. Reclamation …