Category: Industry News

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing July 21 to discuss farmworkers in the United States, specifically focusing on provisions within the House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA).

Members heard from two panels: Panel I included USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Panel II consisted of five witnesses within the farmworker/agricultural industry. When questioned by Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) about expanding the H-2A program to cover year-round ag workers, Secretary Vilsack expressed optimism over the proposal of an expansion. He recognized the phase-in period of three years of 60,000 additional H-2A workers and a pilot program that focuses on the ability of 10,000 workers to move around the country as an opportunity to determine whether additional adjustments to the program need to be made. The Secretary also commended FWMA’s provisions on wages, employee protection, and streamlined application processing.

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) had a heated exchange with Secretary Vilsack over the state of security at the southern border. Both Senators expressed that they would not be in favor of passing any sort of immigration legislation until the Southern border is secure, saying they would fear that giving legal status to even one person would create a surge at the border.

“This excuse has been used for years to avoid taking action. The Senate can and should pass a bill with strong enforcement, but there’s no definition for ‘securing the border.’ This allows members of Congress to move the goalposts, claim their standard hasn’t been met, and keep voting ‘no’ as the ag labor crisis gets worse,” said Kam Quarles, National Potato Council CEO.

Secretary Vilsack did mention that the Natural Resources Conservation Service is looking into whether conservation programs could potentially be used to provide assistance to farmers and ranchers at the border who have suffered agricultural property damage as a result of illegal crossings. 

SOURCE: National Potato Council

Thirty-two food and agriculture trade associations have recommended the prompt confirmation of former Colorado Senator Kenneth Salazar to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The nomination hearing is scheduled for July 28 with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In the letter to the Committee leadership, the group wrote, “We regard our nation’s relationship with Mexico to be of first order importance and submit that Senator Salazar is a proven statesman with keen insights into this long, rich and complex bilateral relationship.”

The letter comes as both countries continue negotiations on several high-level issues, including U.S. efforts to urge Mexico to move forward in issuing regulations to reinstate access to U.S. fresh potatoes.

The nomination hearing also precedes a meeting expected in August between USDA Secretary Vilsack and Mexican Agriculture Secretary Villalobos.

The full letter can be found here. 

Frozen carrots are on the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) AMS Master Solicitation for use in the Emergency Food Assistance Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

Acceptances will be announced by midnight, August 13, 2021.

Deliveries are to be made between October 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.

The specialist for this solicitation is Luma Kale, Luma.Kale@usda.gov. The contracting officer for this solicitation is Kelli Dawkins, Kelli.Dawkins@usda.gov.

Please contact the specialist first, with questions regarding the requirements of this solicitation. Do not discuss your bid prices with the specialist or contracting officer before award.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FULL SOLICITATION

Although COVID-related restrictions kept most people in the industry from viewing the results of this spring’s USDA carrot hybrid trial in person, organizers say the crop was beautiful. And here are the pictures to prove it.

The carrot hybrid trial was planted at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville, California, on Oct. 27, 2020, and harvested in mid-March. The trial included more than 1,200 varieties, ranging from early- through advanced-generation breeding lines, as well as inbred lines mainly for hybrid development. Entries included cello types, cut-and-peel types for the processing industry, orange and purple high-pigment materials for use as industrial food coloring, and plant introduction materials from the National Germplasm Collection.

Although organizers were unable to hold the usual public field day this year, they did evaluate the trial at harvest. Carrots were scored on root length, shape, root smoothness, tip shape, uniformity, premature bolting, vigor and foliar diseases. Quality traits included color, flavor and texture. Evaluators also looked at top quality, strength and attachment.

Laurie McKenzie, the Northwest research and education associate for the Organic Seed Alliance, has attended the USDA carrot hybrid trial the last six years. With USDA carrot breeder Phil Simon unable to be on site due to ongoing travel restrictions, McKenzie managed the trial harvest and selection this year. 

Overall, the trial and the roots dug were beautiful, she said. There was very little disease present on the foliage or the roots. In particular, the novel colored carrot hybrid trial included some very promising looking hybrids, especially from Simon’s program, according to McKenzie.

“Personally, I am especially interested in and focused on the novel colored carrots – both for open-pollinated and hybrid variety development,” McKenzie said. “In the time that I’ve been coming to [the trial], I’ve seen tremendous progress made on expanding and improving the cultivar development of colored carrots. Overall, I think there is really great progress being made in Dr. Simon’s program across the entire carrot spectrum and am both honored and humbled to work so collaboratively with him and his program.”

Leave the fireworks to the professionals

Independence Day is right around the corner, just as a dangerous heat wave has moved through the West. With a heightened fire risk in many parts of the state, some cities and counties have put additional restrictions on the use of fireworks. Please review local guidance when making plans for your celebration. For those attending firework displays, a backyard picnic, or enjoying the outdoors, the Northwest Region of the American Red Cross wants to remind everyone that just one spark can start a wildfire. Let’s enjoy a fun-packed, safe holiday weekend by following these Red Cross safety tips:

FIREWORKS SAFETY

The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public firework show put on by professionals. Stay at least 500 feet away from the show. Leave any area immediately where untrained amateurs are using fireworks. If you are setting fireworks off at home, follow these safety steps:

• Never give fireworks to small children, and never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials. Always follow the instructions on the packaging.
• Keep a supply of water close by as a precaution.
• Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection.
• Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight “a dud.”
• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place away from children and pets.

PICNIC SAFETY

• Don’t leave food out in the hot sun. Keep perishable foods in a cooler with plenty of ice or freezer gel packs.
• Wash your hands before preparing the food.
• If you are going to grill, always supervise when in use. Don’t add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited. Use the long-handled tools especially made for cooking on the grill to keep the chef safe.
• Never grill indoors. Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches or anything that could catch fire. 
• Make sure everyone, including pets, stays away from the grill.

HEAT SAFETY

• Hot cars can be deadly. Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The inside temperature of the car can quickly reach 120 degrees. Check on animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from the heat. Make sure they have plenty of cool water and shade.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol.
• Avoid extreme temperature changes.
• Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat. If someone doesn’t have air conditioning, they should seek relief from the heat during the warmest part of the day in places like schools, libraries, theaters, malls, etc.

DOWNLOAD APPS. The Red Cross app “Emergency” can help keep you and your loved ones safe with real-time alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety advice. The Red Cross First Aid app provides instant access to information on handling the most common emergencies. Download these apps for free by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store or at redcross.org/apps.

Follow COVID-19 Guidelines

Remember to review the latest COVID-19 pandemic guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with your family before you head out.

Interest in purchasing agricultural land has grown since a coronavirus pandemic-induced slowdown blanketed the land market last spring. Farmers are feeling more financially secure as very strong commodity prices arrived on top of large government payments in 2020. This is propelling farmers to bid more aggressively for additional land than has been the case during the past six years.

“One thing that all the high-priced land has in common is that they were all sold at auction!” said Colton Lacina, a professional farm manager with Farmers National Company in Hudson, Iowa.

Individual investors, both first-time, and experienced buyers, are stepping into the land market as they search for a safe, long-term real estate investment in a low interest rate environment. Investor buyers seldom outbid farmer-buyers for a good farm unless they have 1031 tax-deferred exchange funds to spend in a short time period. The increase in ag land prices is happening in most areas of the Grain Belt and with most types of land.

“At Farmers National Company auctions, we are seeing competitive bidding push prices for good cropland to levels approaching 2014 values,” Randy Dickhut, Vice President of Real Estate shared. “Average to lower quality farms are experiencing stronger sales prices, too, while pastureland increases are more modest,” he continued.

“The best way to sell cropland in the current market is to take it to auction”

Currently, the demand for good farmland is outstripping the supply of farms for sale. During the previous few years, the number of farms for sale has been lower but there remained enough demand in the farmland market to balance the lower supply resulting in steady land prices. At this time, the strong demand to own farmland is one of the main factors pushing prices higher. “In order for the seller to get top dollar in the current land market, they have to ensure there is true competitive bidding,” said Dickhut.

Higher land values will bring more sellers into the market as estates, trusts, recent inheritors, and family groups evaluate whether to sell the farm or ranch and capture the higher prices. An additional consideration is the uncertainty surrounding future tax policies which may trigger a sale sooner rather than later for some.

The land market will be balancing increased demand for good cropland against what might be an increasing supply of farms for sale. “In a rising land market, it becomes more difficult to predict what a farm will actually sell for on any given day especially when there is demand from both farmers and investors driving farmland.” Lacina said.

“The best way to sell cropland in the current market is to take it to auction or some form of competitive bidding that brings together the potential buyers utilizing the true price discovery method,” said David Whitaker.

Professional Help from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) Members

Members of the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) work with close to 2 million acres across Iowa. Its Farm Manager members are experts in helping landowners to achieve their objectives, while its Appraiser members are equipped with the tools necessary to tackle a wide spectrum of real estate valuation assignments. To locate a professional farm manager or appraiser in your area, visit ASFMRA.org.

You can connect with an ASFMRA member in your area by visiting asfmra.org/directory/find-experts2.

About the authors:

Colton Lacina is a Farm Manager, Real Estate Sales agent with Farmers National Company in Hudson, Iowa.

David Whitaker ALC, CAI, is an Area Sales Manager for the Central Region with Farmers National Company in Ames, Iowa.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative.

Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack announced plans to use available pandemic assistance funds to address a number of gaps and disparities in previous rounds of aid. As part of the Pandemic Assistance initiative announced in March, USDA pledged to continue Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments and to provide aid to producers and businesses left behind.

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BioSafe Systems has a webinar scheduled for June 29 at 9 a.m. PT.

The webinar will cover soil ecology and plant health.

The panel guests are:

Robin Ross
Co-Owner, Science and Technology at AgNexus Consulting

Alberto Acedo Bécares
Cofounder & CSO, Biome Makers

Shashika S. Hewavitharana, PhD
Assistant Professor at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Kim Zitnick-Anderson, PhD
Research Specialist/Lab Manager at North Dakota State University

Sarah Budde Rodriguez, PhD
Assistant Plant Pathologist at BioSafe Systems

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Grimmway Farms, the largest carrot producer in the world and largest organic vegetable producer in the United States has chosen Highland Ag Solutions as their food safety and regulatory compliance management software provider.

“We are honored to partner with Grimmway Farms to provide a platform that allows them to virtually manage their food safety programs. Food safety culture is a priority at Grimmway and Highland is ready to play a vital role in that process,” says Justin Machell, CEO at Highland Ag Solutions.

Wendell Stockton, Director of Quality Assurance for Grimmway Farms, and his team use the Highland Hub for their compliance and food safety needs. “Using auditor access has really increased our efficiency, we can send access to our records to an auditor so they can do a desk review from a remote location,” says Stockton. “I highly recommend Highland Hub software because it is well designed and well serviced. When they first demonstrated it for me, I was using a competitor’s software, but knew within the first 15 minutes that I would be making a change. The software is a much better value, as well as very user-friendly and customized to my needs. Any questions I have are immediately addressed with a call to Customer Support and they answer the phone every time.”

Highland Hub has provided the tools needed for a transparent, real-time view of the critical elements of food safety at Grimmway Farms. Tools like Auditor Access have been a game changer for Stockton and his team.

To hear more about why Grimmway made the decision to choose Highland, click here! 

On June 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army announced their intent to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) after concluding the Trump Administration’s rule is causing “significant environmental degradation,” according to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. In a press release, the Biden Administration said the definition was revised at the request of a “broad array of stakeholders” who “are seeing destructive impacts to critical water bodies under the 2020 rule.”

The action restores the protections in place prior to the Obama Administration’s 2015 WOTUS implementation. EPA said it anticipates developing a new rule that defines WOTUS that is informed by the “experience of implementing the pre-2015 rule, the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, and the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule.”

The decision to reverse the WOTUS rule comes on the heels of an announcement by the Biden Administration to rescind or replace a number of Trump-era changes to the Endangered Species Act.

SOURCE: National Potato Council