Labor

Georgia pursues transparency of H-2A wage hikes

The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Department of Labor (DOL) regarding wage rates for workers in the H-2A temporary visa program. New hourly... more »

IFPA asks members to support H-2A wage relief bill

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has announced support for the Supporting Farm Operations Act, an immediate measure to address wage relief. The legislation freezes the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), the wage rate that... more »

Tamara Muruetagoiena leads IFPA sustainability

Tamara Muruetagoiena is the International Fresh Produce Association’s first ever vice president of sustainability. Muruetagoiena joined the organization in April 2022 and established the critical importance of the produce and floral industry taking the lead... more »

Robots perform field work at FIRA USA

Allowing growers to watch the latest AgTech products operate in the field was a big part of FIRA USA. Through demonstrations and static displays at the Sept. 19-21 event in Salinas California, technology providers focusing... more »

Autonomous tech invades the ‘Salad Bowl’

Despite a limited number of robots and automated machines being deployed in some grower fields, more buy-in is needed by venture capital (VC) firms that fund AgTech products. The challenge of making robotics and smart... more »

2023: The year in review

To specialty crop growers, and farmers in general, 2023’s big news in the industry wasn’t totally unforeseen: lack of labor is still an issue, severe weather damaged crops and technology continues to advance automation in... more »

New EFI customized audit available

A new customizable audit tool released by Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is designed to alleviate audit fatigue and streamline the certification process. EFI, the capacity-building and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and... more »

California winter vegetables thriving in Imperial Valley

Winter vegetable harvest is in full swing in California's Imperial Valley, and growers say the conditions this season have been close to perfect. “I’ve had a great growing season. Everything is on time and beautiful,... more »