Labor
New York Farm Bureau opposes $15 minimum wage
Family farmers and small business owners recently joined together at farms and businesses across New York state to ask state lawmakers to oppose the proposed $15 minimum wage increase. The April 1 budget deadline is... more »
Caterpillar, SunSelect to collaborate on greenhouse
Caterpillar Inc. and SunSelect Produce, Inc. announced a strategic collaboration that will take the waste products of Caterpillar’s combined heat and power cogeneration facility in Mossville, Illinois, and put them to productive use in SunSelect hydroponic... more »
Necessity forces Cuban growers to improvise, innovate
It is always nice to see new ways of doing things – whether it is a novel cultivator, a new farm management system or an entirely different way to govern a country and order society.... more »
Produce handlers: wash your hands with soap and water
The single most important thing produce growers, pickers and handlers can do to prevent the spread of foodborne illness is wash their hands. It can reduce foodborne illness by as much as 80 percent, and... more »
MAFVC engages Spanish-speaking farm workers, farmers
Since 2009, Penn State Extension has hosted a full-day session at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention (MAFVC), taught completely in Spanish. The MAFVC was held Feb. 2-4 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. ... more »
US Chamber of Commerce, USDA promote agriculture jobs to military veterans
The USDA announced a joint agreement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to increase employment opportunities in the agricultural sector for military veterans and their spouses. USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Deputy Under Secretary... more »
US Department of Labor announces delays in H-2A applications
Employers who participate in H-1B, H-2A and H-2B temporary nonimmigrant visa programs may experience delays in the processing of applications, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC). The OFLC... more »
Filling the labor gap: more Michigan growers hiring H-2A workers
Michigan growers are taking the plunge into H-2A, and don’t appear to be turning back. It started with a pilot project in 2014, when four apple orchards hired 90 pickers. By 2015, Michigan Farm Bureau,... more »
