CCM appoints current Executive Vice President and veteran agriculture industry representative.  Current President, Joel Nelsen to step down after 37 years at the helm and assume new role within the organization. The California Citrus Mutual (CCM) Board of Directors has named current Executive Vice President Casey Creamer as its new President and CEO effective February 1st.  Creamer came to CCM …

CoBank Releases 2019 Year Ahead Report – Confluence of Key Factors Suggest Downside Economic Risk The U.S. economy is still performing well by most key measures. However, consumers, investors, companies and other market participants have become more wary about the near-term future with seemingly good reason. Global and U.S. economic prospects are weakening and the agricultural economy shows few signs …

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, …

Stakes at All-Time High for Backyard & Commercial Trees in 2019 Detections of Huanglongbing (HLB), an incurable plant disease that kills citrus trees, increased by 160 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, signaling the growing threat to the state’s iconic citrus trees, landscape and economy. HLB is spread by a small pest called the Asian citrus psyllid as …

Report Highlights Animal Agriculture’s Commitment to Continuous Improvement Yesterday, the Animal Agriculture Alliance released its “Sustainability Impact Report” focusing on animal agriculture in the United States. The report highlights how the animal agriculture industry shares the same values as today’s consumer with its never-ending commitment to animal care, environmental stewardship, responsible antibiotic use, food safety and nutrition. To access the …

The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) recently announced their Top Issues for 2019. Members were surveyed in December 2018 and ranked the top issues for CFFA to concentrate on in 2019. President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, George Radanovich, stated, “As in years past, our membership has given us strong direction in identifying their top priorities for 2019. The …

The International Agri-Center® is set to hold the 52nd World Ag Expo® February 12-14, 2019. The largest annual agricultural exposition of its kind, World Ag Expo® boasts more than 1,450 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space. In 2018, 106,700 people came from 49 states and 63 countries to attend the 51st …

By Andrew J. Hoag, Fisher Phillips LLP New legislation will require almost every employer in the State of California, including agricultural employers, to provide sexual harassment training to all employees—including temporary and seasonal employees. By January 1, 2020, all employers of five or more employees must provide at least 2two hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees and …

The ongoing federal government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, may soon affect a key program of great importance to winegrape growers. Thursday, Jan. 10 is the deadline for wineries to submit grape purchase data from the 2018 harvest to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Pacific Region office. NASS collects and compiles the data for …

Biosolarization Shows Promise for Conventional & Organic Farmers By Diane Nelson Farmers spend a lot of time and money controlling weeds and other pests, and often have to turn to chemical fumigants to keep the most destructive pests at bay. Farmers also wrestle with what to do with low-value byproducts of crop production, such as skin, seeds and hulls from …