While most Californians are staying home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, California farmers, farmworkers and other agricultural professionals are out in the fields and packing houses working to produce food. With increased demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, to protect against COVID-19, these essential workers are facing shortages. Agricultural commissioners in 28 counties are hearing from …
California employers are required to establish and implement an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) to protect employees from all worksite hazards, including infectious diseases. This guidance contains information, recommendations, and requirements for agricultural employers on how to update their IIPPs to include preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. This guidance does not introduce any new legal obligations, but because COVID-19 …
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues have discovered a gene that can be used to develop varieties of wheat that will be more resistant to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), a disease that is a major threat both overseas and to the nation’s $10 billion annual wheat crop. A paper reporting the discovery and the cloning of the gene, …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a collaboration with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, McLane Global, PepsiCo, and others to deliver nearly 1,000,000 meals to students in a limited number of rural schools closed due to COVID-19: “Feeding children who are affected by school closures is a top priority for President Trump and this Administration. USDA is …
Alfalfa is often called the “Queen of the Forages” due to its high yield, feed quality for ruminant animals, nitrogen fixation and pollinator habitat among other environmental services. But this royal member of the legume family is no match against the host of microbes that cause the disease complex known as “crown rot.” Chemical controls aren’t effective against crown rot, …
By now, most farmers know the regulations regarding pesticide use notifications near school sites; however, many are still getting fined by the counties for violation of this rule. So where are farmers coming short? Watch this brief interview with Travis Howard from the Sonoma County Ag Department as he clarifies some important dates and requirements farmers need to know about …
Whether you’ve experienced wildfire damage on the farm or other disasters, disease outbreaks on your trees and vines — the USDA-Farm Service Agency has a program to support you. Watch this brief interview with Farm Service Agency California representative Lisa Velasquez as she explains some of these programs to get involved in. Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support …
Agriculture and the science of crop protection materials is too often misunderstood by the public and is under constant attack by extremists in the political arena. As legislation and jurisdiction begins to more commonly ignore sound science in their decision-making, farmers are rightfully concerned about the future of agriculture and what may or may not be in their power to …
BASF launched a new industry-wide initiative to eliminate on-farm weeds. Operation Weed Eradication calls on growers and partners to take action against troublesome weeds in their fields, through cultural practices, chemical control and enhanced diligence. Research by Stratus Ag shows that nearly 75 percent of growers nationwide are dealing with glyphosate-resistant weeds in their fields and today’s management practices are …
Anti-pesticide sentiment has never been more prevalent, as California courts and anti-agricultural organizations frighten the public with non-science based claims of the harmful effects of crop protection materials such as glyphosate. What farmers need to understand though now, is that much more than glyphosate is currently at stake. The legislature is now being pressured to change the whole pesticide regulatory …
