Pacific Northwest

Workplace protections, including no bunk beds, extended in Oregon

Oregon OSHA has adopted a rule to maintain risk-reducing safety measures for workers across the state against the coronavirus. Although the rule includes several changes based on the public comments received since the rule was... more »

Washington State University weather service gets new director

Washington State University's AgWeatherNet system has been growing rapidly in the last few years. Professor Lav Khot was named interim director of AgWeatherNet with the goal of maintaining the momentum of that growth and increasing... more »

Postharvest life of perishables pursued by RipeLocker with $5M buy-in

RipeLocker, a Seattle, Washington-based company specializing in extending the postharvest life of perishables, announced April 21 it has raised $5 million in series B capital from angel investors. The investment round is all from previous... more »

‘Common sense ruling’ goes in favor of Washington farm labor managers

Yakima County Superior Court Judge Blaine Gibson ruled in favor of agriculture groups, prohibiting the state of Washington from enforcing unreasonable emergency COVID-19 regulations farm leaders say don’t incorporate best science, the arrival of vaccines,... more »

Water shortages throughout California seen as drought spreads

The 2020-21 California drought has led to significant water cutbacks, compelling farmers to fallow ground and public officials to respond with legislation intended to address the state's chronic water shortages. Farmers in more parts of... more »

Harvest automation for produce industry accelerated by Western Growers

Western Growers is spearheading a Global Harvest Automation Initiative to accelerate harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, with a goal of automating 50% of harvest within 10 years. “For well over a decade, our... more »

Oregon State University releases new, antioxidant-rich purple tomato

The new Oregon State University-developed tomato Midnight Roma follows in the steps of 10-year-old Indigo Rose, the first antioxidant-rich purple tomato available on the market. Indigo Rose was bred by Jim Myers, vegetable breeder and... more »

Officials: ‘All-hands-on-deck’ to address worsening Western drought conditions

In response to worsening drought conditions in the West, including in areas like the Klamath River Basin, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack released the following statement on April... more »