COVID-19

SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to ag businesses

U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced May 4 that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) portal will... more »

SaniDate 5.0 proven effective against human coronavirus

BioSafe Systems announced SaniDate 5.0 is effective against human coronavirus on hard, non-porous surfaces. A GLP viricidal efficacy study was conducted using SaniDate 5.0 at a rate of 1.0 fl. oz. per gallon with a... more »

USDA announces additional food purchase plans

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced May 4 details of $470 million in Section 32 food purchases to occur in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, in addition to purchases previously announced, which... more »

Farms providing produce at reasonable rate to California food bank

In one of the first agreements of its kind between California producers and a county food bank, two farms will begin providing, at a reasonable rate, produce to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, allowing... more »

PMA Foodservice Conference set for July is postponed

The Produce Marketing Association has postponed its Foodservice Conference and Expo that was scheduled July 24-25 in Monterey, California. The following announcement from the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) was shared May 1: "We have made... more »

Mississippi Extension part of FARM Corps linking servicemen, veterans with ag jobs

Mississippi State University Extension is helping U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Tupelo, and other partners in launching a new FARM Corps program to connect furloughed or unemployed veterans and members of the National Guard, Reserve and... more »

New York state connects impacted producers to purchasing opportunities

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, in coordination with its partners, is reaching out to New York producers that have surplus agricultural products as a result of COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions. The... more »

California Gov. Gavin Newsom expands Farm to Family program

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced April 29 new initiatives to help Californians put healthy food on the table while also supporting the farm industry, which has been devastated by COVID-19. California... more »

Temporary Oregon rule eyes COVID-19 in employer-provided housing, operations

Oregon OSHA has adopted a temporary rule to increase protections for workers against the spread of coronavirus in employer-provided housing and in labor-intensive farm operations. The temporary rule, which takes effect May 11, 2020, addresses... more »

Pear bureau responds to shifting retail environment with storage, ripening tips

Northwest pears are still in season and available, and in response to the shifting retail landscape, Pear Bureau Northwest has been working to stay innovative with a number of communication tools. These include directing consumers... more »