California Ag Today

I spoke with experts at the 2022 National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting in Kansas City. Jim Lappin, Director of the SIMPAS Product Portfolio with AMVAC joins us to chat about new ag tech in their neck of the woods.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Like I mentioned in my other shows this week, I want to point out I have a very resilient flu right now so that is why I sound a little gruff and stuffy today. However, one thing I’m sure all of you can appreciate, rain or shine, the show goes on.

Mykel Bickham, Director of Government Affairs at Edge Dairy Cooperative says the period between elections in November and the new congress in January, known as the Lame Duck period, is a really important time for issues like H2A reform. With the House flipping to republicans, an immigration bill is less likely to pass if it rolls into the new congress.

Let’s dive into how the election results can impact current bills that are sitting between the House and the Senate… for example, a very important one to all of agriculture, The Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

Researchers on the west coast put the power of artificial intelligence to good use to protect bees from pesticides.

Shipping challenges continue to make life difficult for farmers and sellers who need to move commodities to overseas markets. Mike Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, says the falling levels on U.S. waterways plus the threat of a potential railroad strike is almost a perfect storm.

I’m in Kansas City for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting, and I got to catch up FMC Biological Subject Matter Expert Matthew Pye.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the USDA is investing $73 million in 21 projects through the first round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. Vilsack says the funds distributed under the program are intended to help increase production capacity across the supply chain.

Welcome back to our discussion on the issue of farm labor shortages in the fresh produce sector. The fresh produce industry has struggled to obtain a sufficient amount of farm labor for a long time, and unlike other crops, fresh produce still requires humans, and lots of them, to harvest delicate fruits and vegetables.