Labor

USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee meeting scheduled

USDA schedules Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee meeting The U.S. Department of Agriculture has scheduled the next meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. The committee, which studies issues facing the fruit... more »

DOL issues H-2A wage rule, ag groups voice displeasure

The Department of Labor issued its new rule for determining wages for ag workers in the H-2A temporary visa program, and industry groups were quick to voice their displeasure with the new rule. The National... more »

Equipment dealers’ group launches online forum

The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) has launched a members-only dealer engagement platform, www.naedacommunity.com. The social and communications platform will provide a central place for equipment dealers to connect, collaborate, learn and share. NAEDA, Kansas... more »

Georgia produce group celebrates award winners at highly attended show

Attendance at the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, which was Jan. 5-8 in Savannah, Georgia, was back to pre-pandemic numbers. Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Association (GFVGA), said attendance... more »

Lewis Taylor Farms counters rising labor costs

Lewis Taylor Farms Inc., one of the Southeast’s largest privately-owned vegetable and greenhouse operations, battles escalating costs through in-house mechanization and efficient use of labor as well as improved methods of fighting pests and diseases.... more »

2023 federal policy priorities set by state ag departments group

The group representing U.S. state agriculture departments, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), is releasing its federal policy objectives for 2023. NASDA members, the state commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture, hand-selected... more »

NuPlant introduces plant tissue culture propagation system

NuPlant is introducing SmartClone, an advanced plant tissue culture propagation system designed to rapidly deliver significantly improved plants from breeding programs for multiple species, according to a news release. SmartClone uses precision robotics to deliver... more »

First farm labor contractor achieves EFI verification

AgSocio is the first company to complete an initial verification of Equitable Food Initiative’s (EFI) farm labor contractor (FLC) standards, as part of a pilot program. Matt Rogers congratulates Juan Valdez,... more »