COVID-19
USDA urged to allocate specific funding to protect essential ag workers
Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), Jim Costa (CA-16), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), and Fred Upton (MI-06) led 70 colleagues in a bipartisan letter sent Jan. 11 to the USDA urging... more »
Employers are no longer obligated to provide FFRCA leave
After much heated negotiation in passing Stimulus 2.0, Congress reached a compromise on employee COVID-19 leave, allowing the leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to expire on Dec.31, 2020, but continuing tax... more »
New round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program announced
The USDA will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, according to a Jan. 4 announcement. In total, USDA has distributed more than... more »
New Vermont grant funds food access for Latinx farmworkers
University of Vermont Extension recently received a $62,469 grant to support food security for the Latinx migrant farmworker community in Vermont. The grant from Shaw's Nourishing Neighbors Community Relief Initiative will be used to facilitate... more »
Pesticide applicator credentials in Michigan extended until June
A new emergency rule filed on Dec. 30 by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Gary McDowell extended pesticide applicator credential expiration dates as part of the state’s continued COVID-19 response. Applicators... more »
Cal/OSHA emergency standards to protect nation’s food supply challenged
A coalition of agricultural and business employers has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the COVID-19-related emergency temporary standards recently approved by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. According to... more »
California farmers can get small business COVID-19 relief
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced the creation of a $500 million California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The application period for round one began Dec. 30 and lasts until Jan. 8, 2021. The... more »
CARES Act funding to support Colorado ag producers totals $1.65M
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), in partnership with the Colorado Farm & Food Systems Respond & Rebuild Fund, has awarded $1,658,000 in grants to Colorado farmers, ranchers, food hubs and processors. Recognizing the fundamental... more »
COVID-19’s impacts on food system, ag workers discussed at CSU
The High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) at Colorado State University hosted a virtual panel discussion on the impacts of COVID-19 on workers in the agricultural sector on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Moderated by... more »
COVID-19 training prevention program extended to Yuma, Arizona
Replicating another of its Salinas Valley programs, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) has established a COVID-19 training prevention program for food facility and farm employees in the Yuma in cooperation with the Regional... more »
