The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Japan has granted market access for California plums. Eliminating the phytosanitary barriers keeping California plums out of the Japanese market required multiple rounds of technical negotiations that were somewhat hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) would like to extend its appreciation to the USDA Animal Plant …

With many small farms still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and deepening impacts felt from the drought, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is relaunching its California Family Farmer Emergency Fund for farmers in crisis. The current drought is sending shock waves through California’s food system; as wells go dry, reservoirs sit empty, and the state begins shutting off access …

With cattle futures reaching new multi-year highs this week, The North American Meat Institute today submitted testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee underscoring the supply and demand fundamentals of beef and livestock markets and opposing further government intervention that will result in unintended consequences. “Industry experts, market participants and economists testifying before three different congressional committees in the past two …

Across the globe, COVID-19 has devastated countries, presenting unthinkable challenges to friends, family and communities. In particular, recent waves of infection in India have created a dire situation within the country, affecting many fellow UPL employees and their families. Because of this, UPL is proud to announce a recent donation of $20,000 in funds raised by North America employees to …

U.S. agricultural exports in the first four months (January – April) of 2021 were a record $59 billion, exceeding the previous record set in 2014 by nearly $5 billion. Robust global demand, high commodity prices, and increased U.S. competitiveness have led to record exports of corn, sorghum, beef, food preparations, and other products. Others including soybeans, soybean meal, wheat, and …

Following the vote by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt revised COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards that reflect the state’s latest COVID-19 public health order, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order enabling the revisions to take effect without the normal 10-day review period by the Office of Administrative Law – providing clarity and consistency for …

Citing lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. The new effort will strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left …

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today released the following document to clarify common misunderstandings about the complex and competitive beef market in the United States. “The members of the Meat Institute and their livestock suppliers benefit from a fair and competitive market,” said Meat Institute Vice President of Communications Sarah Little. “This document uses public sources to give …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will purchase up to $159.4 million in domestically produced seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions. These purchases are being made utilizing funds under the authority of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (Pub. L. 74-320), as amended (Section …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $92.2 million in competitive grant funding under the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The LAMP grants announced today are funded through the Farmers Market program as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative. USDA launched this initiative in March to address shortfalls and disparities in …