Industry and Academics Gather for Phytosanitary Irradiation Worskhop
On March 24 and 25, more than 60 industry, government, and academia representatives convened at the fourth annual "Opportunities in Phytosanitary Irradiation for Fresh Produce Workshop" held at Chapman University in Orange, CA. The workshop was designed to provide diverse stakeholders with a regular forum to discuss the appropriate role of irradiation in the U.S. fresh produce industry. The event was co-hosted by USDA-APHIS and Chapman University.
Cory Lunde Mar 27 2014 in Science & Technology
Bipartisan Call From CA to Federal Agencies: "Capture Maximum" Water From Storm
Members of California's congressional delegation called today on federal fish agency regulators to "capture the maximum amount of water from this week's storm in California."
Seven members of the delegation, including Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Ken Calvert, Jim Costa, Jeff Denham, Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes and David Valadao sent a bi-partisan letter sent today to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agriculture Secretary Penny Pritzker asking for each agency to immediately evaluate the operations criteria that govern the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP).
Register for a Piece-Rate Compensation Compliance Workshop on April 10
Last year, two California Appellate court cases - Bluford v. Safeway Stores, Inc. and Gonzalez v. Downtown LA Motors – sent shockwaves through the agriculture industry when they ruled that employees who are compensated pursuant to a piece-rate system must be separately compensated for time when they are not "producing pieces," including paid rest breaks. Now agricultural employers throughout the state are scrambling to figure out exactly how to comply with these precedential court decisions.
Jason Resnick Mar 27 2014 in Legal
WG Leadership Meetings in Arizona, Nassif Pushes On to DC
Earlier this week, the Western Growers' Executive Committee and Arizona board members joined forces in Phoenix for annual Leadership meetings. The WG directors, joined by WG President and CEO Tom Nassif and key staff, met with legislators, candidates, administration officials, political strategists and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss the 2014 elections and what they could mean for the future of Arizona and the fresh produce industry. Immigration reform was a key discussion topic in the meetings.
AnnaMarie Knorr Mar 27 2014 in Politics