On January 26, 2018 fruit, nut and vegetable farmers throughout the country began being required to follow specific food safety practices under a new federal regulation known as the Produce Safety Rule. For now, the new regulation applies only to large farms, defined as those with annual produce sales of $500,000 or more. These are exactly the kinds of farms …
Any grower or packer that has experienced a food recall knows how stressful things can get and all that is at stake; yet those who have never experienced them tend to be the least prepared for a recall when it occurs. Watch this brief video interview with Rachael Dettmann Spiegel as she addressed growers, hullers and processors at the recent …
If you missed the Annual Tree & Vine Expo, Marline Azevedo with the Stanislaus County Ag Commissioner’s office provided an update on changes in laws and regulations for growers moving into 2018. Watch her brief interview as she describes two key changes in Chlorpyrifos permit conditions & pesticide use around school sites.
Emily Rooney, President of the Ag Council of California recently spoke at the annual Almond Alliance Convention, sharing their organization’s efforts to defend California Agriculture in Sacramento. One of their recent successes has been working with Dr. Pan on the Buy American Provision to ensure that school lunches are not coming from commodities produced outside of the country when they …
At the CAPCA Spring Summit in Temecula, growers and crop consultants gathered to discuss issues with pest & disease management, and how to resolve them. This year was especially rough on southern desert vegetable growers for downy mildew, as many were not prepared for all the rain we received earlier this year. Watch this brief video with UC Plant Pathologist …
Seedcorn maggot has been a significant problem for processing onion growers in the Tulelake area. Watch this brief video interview with Rob Wilson, UC Farm Advisor & IREC Director, as he shares the latest chemical and cultural practices to minimize this pest in the field. Read more in Vegetables West Magazine.
White Rot is a serious enemy to garlic & onion production in the Central Valley, and the California Garlic & Onion Research Advisory Board continues to fund research to find a viable alternative solution to DADS, a material that is no longer available to the industry. Watch this interview with UC Fresno County Farm Advisor Tom Turini as he provides …
As labor grows tighter, growers are mechanizing their operations as much as possible; however, the need for a solid seasonal labor force is not going away anytime soon. Although not an easy one to utilize, the H2A Ag guestworker program is what more and more growers and farm labor contractors are using to meet their labor needs. Watch this brief …
