News

Pear Bureau Northwest receives trade mitigation relief funding

Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) has been awarded $1,540,830 in the second round of the Agricultural Trade Program (ATP) funding - part of the U.S. government's larger trade mitigation relief package. Between the two allocations, the organization has re... more

MDARD plans 2019 China trade mission

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) will conduct its fourth annual Trade Mission to China, Nov. 8-12, 2019. This year, MDARD will take Michigan food and agriculture companies to Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai to bet... more

USDA projects 2019 apple production to rise 4%

The 2019 U.S. apple crop is up 4% compared with a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first forecast. The 2019 crop – fresh and processing crops – is forecast at 10.6 billion pounds, or 252.4 million (42-pound) carto... more

Resource helps deliver child care in agricultural communities

At a time when agricultural employers are struggling to find workers, access to quality child care can aid in worker recruitment, improve retention and boost employee morale. A new resource, “Roadmap for delivering child care in agricultural co... more

NASS forecasts 2019 Northwest fruit production

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on Aug. 12 released estimates for fruit production in the Pacific Northwest for the current season. NASS’ Olympia office detailed forecasts for Idaho, Oregon and Washington state. F... more

Washington blueberry grower fights late mandatory pay rate hike

One of Washington’s largest blueberry growers is threatening to cut short the 2019 harvest and replace human pickers with machines next year. That’s the company’s reaction to a recent mandatory pay rate increase for guest workers. Accordi... more

Aug. 21 webinar to explain Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act

Because some crops, such as fresh fruit, are highly perishable, laws such as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, or PACA, are in place to protect producers from unfair business practices. PACA was enacted in 1930 and sets rules for the ma... more