Labor
Wash your hands with soap and water
The single most important thing produce growers, pickers and handlers can do to prevent the spread of foodborne illness is wash their hands. It can reduce foodborne illness by as much as 80 percent, and... more »
New York Farm Bureau opposes $15 minimum wage
Family farmers and small business owners recently joined together at farms and businesses across New York state to ask state lawmakers to oppose the proposed $15 minimum wage increase. The April 1 budget deadline is... more »
Poster requirements can be daunting for ag employers
Employers must often keep up with a variety of required government posters at their orchards, farms or other places of business, which can be daunting at times. Private poster services can be helpful by selling... more »
Washington state details how to pay workers for rest periods
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries recently released guidance on how to pay workers for rest periods. Wafla, a Washington state-based association that consults seasonal employers, requested the guidance after a July 16 state supreme... more »
Labor shortages reported during California harvest
This year, California farmers planted fewer acres and let go of hundreds of farm workers. But despite the downsizing, labor shortages are being reported across the state. Here’s more from the Sierra Sun Times: Contra... more »
EPA updates pesticide protection rules
EPA has revised the 1992 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard regulation. The revised regulation seeks to protect and reduce the risks of injury or illness resulting from agricultural workers’ and pesticide handlers’ use and contact with... more »
Court rules Washington growers must pay for rest breaks
The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that piece-rate workers must be paid separately for their rest breaks, a decision that will have a significant impact on the way the state’s growers pay their employees. Dan... more »
New safety-training website tailored for agriculture
Farm and other agribusiness operations looking for convenient, cost-effective ways to improve workplace safety and meet compliance requirements under the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) have a new option available online.Good Day’s Work is... more »
Jon Clements: IFTA Study Tour 2015 recap
Along with approximately 140 other lucky IFTA members, I had the good fortune to attend the IFTA Study Tour to Washington July 15-17, 2015 which visited orchards in the Columbia Basin area of southern Washington... more »
Washington apple crop estimate good sign for exports
The Washington State fresh apple crop estimate, released on Aug. 6, predicts that the 2015-16 harvest will be 125.2 million boxes. This would be the third largest crop in history and down 10.5 percent from... more »
