News

California stay-at-home order happens as ag sector digs in

With agriculture designated “critical infrastructure” by federal and state governments, the California Farm Bureau Federation reiterated its commitment to assist the state’s farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses during the statewide sta... more

Pennsylvania closes non-life sustaining businesses; specialty crop operations exempt

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on March 19 ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania to close their physical locations as of 8 p.m., March 19, to slow the spread of COVID-19. Enforcement actions against businesses that do not close physi... more

Remote operations in place for USDA Rural Development

Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand announced March 20 that USDA Rural Development is implementing enterprise-wide remote operational status effective immediately. Rural Development leadership and managers will continue to provide customer service whi... more

North Carolina State Extension agent shares farmers’ market tips

Last week was a blur amid all the news about coronavirus and its impacts on our communities, both locally and nationally. Every day brought new information and new policies. I spent the week canceling large farmer workshops (it’s not easy to cancel... more

Coronavirus best management practices for vegetable growers

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has impacted Americans and our world partners significantly. While we have gained a basic understanding of this novel coronavirus, we are still in the earliest stages of the outbreak and do not have a clear idea as t... more

International Strawberry Symposium rescheduled for May 2021

Given the SARS-CoV-2 emergency, the ninth edition of the International Strawberry Symposium, initially planned for May 2020, will take place in Rimini on May 1-5, 2021. The decision, after much thought and with no alternatives, was taken by the ev... more

Pesticide applicator licenses’ guidance changed in Kentucky due to COVID-19

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) is releasing new guidance regarding the testing, certification, and licensure of all pesticide operators and applicators regulated in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. All ... more