West

Colorado draws ag response for enactment of overtime rules

The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association has expressed deep disappointment with the final overtime rules published Nov. 12 by the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment. “While we greatly appreciate the Colorado Department of... more »

Tomatoes in top 10 of valued crops in Fresno County report

The Fresno County Department of Agriculture’s 2020 Crop and Livestock Report was presented to the Board of Supervisors today. For the third straight year, Fresno County is the No. 1 agricultural county in the nation.... more »

Steve Mangapit named chief operating officer for Western Growers

Steve Mangapit has been named the first chief operating officer in Western Growers history, and in the new role he will be focused on operational efficiencies, improvements and innovations at the company. Mangapit will start... more »

H-2A laborer arbitration agreements OK’d by federal appeals court

A West Coast federal appeals court opened the door Nov. 3 for H-2A employers to enforce arbitration agreements in employment disputes even outside the context of a collective bargaining agreement. The Ninth Circuit Court of... more »

Forming knowledge network, assessing needs set at Organic Ag Institute

After pioneering the organic movement in the 1970s, California now leads the nation in number of organic farms, total organic acreage and overall organic crop value. Attaining this status was no small feat, and largely... more »

Infrastructure bill brings victory for Western water users, agencies say

With President Joe Biden’s signature on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Nov. 15, a national coalition representing thousands of Western farmers, ranchers, businesses and rural and urban water providers declared a victory... more »

New seed potato lab will benefit Idaho’s spud industry

The University of Idaho is close to opening a new Seed Potato Germplasm Laboratory, which is the place where most Idaho potatoes are “born.” The new $5.5 million facility is located on the university’s Moscow... more »

New water investments sought in proposed California ballot initiative

A proposed California ballot initiative, which could appear before voters in November 2022, seeks greater state investment to increase the annual supply of water in California by 5 million acre-feet. The Water Infrastructure Funding Act... more »