The California Department of Food and Agriculture is announcing on their website that the California Farmworker Foundation is now part of a pilot project with the state to administer COVID-19 tests in the field for farmworkers. The announcement goes on to say that CDFA is part of the state team, partnering with companies and organizations…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
NASS to Reinstate the Agricultural Labor Survey
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service intends to reinstate the Agricultural Labor Survey, suspended on September 30th. NASS will mail the questionnaires and collect data immediately for the survey period that was originally scheduled for October of 2020. The report will be published on February 11th and will include data for the July and…… MORE
Vilsack’s Possible Return to USDA
Several media outlets reported that President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Tom Vilsack to return as USDA Secretary of Agriculture, a post he held for eight years under Barack Obama. National Farmers Union President Rob Larew says family farmers face significant challenges and need a strong Secretary of Agriculture to help them make it…… MORE
Trade Coalition Wants Chinese Tariffs Removed
Americans for Free Trade is a broad coalition that includes Farmers for Free Trade. That coalition sent a letter to president-elect Joe Biden, asking him to remove the tariffs that President Donald Trump placed on Chinese imports. “Finding a way to remove the tariffs while creating an effective new, multilaterally-supported approach to China trade…… MORE
Vilsack Might Return As Ag Secretary
Politico is reporting that Tom Vilsack may be Joe Biden’s number one choice for Secretary of Agriculture. However, the article also says the final decision isn’t made yet. The Hagstrom report quotes a source with ties to Vilsack, saying, “I think this is still very much in flux.” Vilsack was the ag secretary for…… MORE
Dairy Program Signup Extension Request
The National Milk Producers Federation urges the Department of Agriculture to extend signup for the 2021 Dairy Margin Coverage to January 30, 2021. The extension, NMPF says, allows dairy farmers to make better-informed choices while giving both milk producers and USDA staff strained by coronavirus-related challenges additional time to communicate. The current signup deadline…… MORE
American Farm Bureau Convention Open to Everyone
The American Farm Bureau Federation officially opened up the registration period for the 2021 American Farm Bureau Virtual Convention on January 10-13th. For the first time in history, the group waived all registration fees to give all Farm Bureau members, as well as anyone interested in agriculture, the opportunity to experience one of agriculture’s…… MORE
Dairy Margin Coverage Program Numbers Low
The signup deadline for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program is coming up on December 11th, and the American Farm Bureau says the number of dairy operations signed up is lower than expected. So far, 7,846 operations have enrolled in the program, covering about 64 billion pounds of milk. Those numbers account for just under…… MORE
Congressman Jim Costa falls short
Valley Congressman Jim Costa falls short in his bid to become the top House of Representatives farm leader. The Democratic Steering Committee nominated Congressman David Scott of Georgia over Costa to become the next chair of the House Agriculture Committee. That means Scott is now one step away from officially becoming the first African-American chair…… MORE
Farm Production Expenses To Drop
The USDA says farm sector production expenses, including those associated with operator dwellings, are forecast to decrease by $4.6 billion to $344.2 billion in 2020 in nominal terms, which means not adjusted for inflation. That’s a 1.3% drop from the previous year. These expenses represent the costs of all inputs used to produce farm commodities…… MORE
