West

Study: California’s working landscape supports more than 1.5 million jobs

California’s working landscape and the industries associated with agriculture and natural resources contribute significantly to the state’s economy, according to a new study by the California Community Colleges Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research,... more »

Organic Grower of the Year named by Organic Grower Summit

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and the Organic Produce Network (OPN) will honor long-time organic growers Lundberg Family Farms as the recipient of the third annual Organic Grower Summit’s Grower of the Year. Lundberg Family Farms... more »

Respirators at wine estate wedding show growers’ hazard

The viral photo of a bride and groom wearing respirators in a smoky vineyard is a window into a common workplace issue for winegrapes growers and their staff. The photo, taken by KMR Photography’s Karna... more »

Nufarm to showcase vineyard, orchard products at CAPCA

Nufarm will showcase its vineyard and orchard products at the California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) annual conference. CAPCA, which represents 75% of California’s 4,000 licensed pest control advisors, will hold its annual conference... more »

California reports low or no pesticide levels in most fruits, vegetables

Once again, tests showed that the vast majority of fresh produce collected by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) met national pesticide residue standards. During its 2018 survey, DPR found 95 percent of all samples... more »

California officials weight whole-orchard recycling

California Department of Food and Agriculture is currently seeking public comment on the inclusion of the Whole Orchard Recycling practice into its Healthy Soils Incentives Program. This management practice will be in addition to the... more »

Five finalists chosen to compete for $250K at 2019 AgSharks Competition

After reviewing the flood of applications from start-up companies who are all developing technology to solve agriculture’s most critical issues, Western Growers and S2G Ventures have chosen five finalists to compete in the 2019 AgSharks Competition on... more »

Skidmore joins New Mexico State as Extension specialist for urban, small farms

New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences recently hired a new Extension Integrated Pest Management Specialist for Urban and Small Farms. Amanda Skidmore, who is stationed at the Agricultural Science Center... more »