USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages agricultural producers to enroll now in the Agriculture Risk Loss (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. March 15, 2020 is the enrollment deadline for the 2019 crop year. Although more than 200,000 producers have enrolled to date, FSA anticipates 1.5 million producers will enroll for ARC and PLC. By enrolling soon, producers can beat the rush as the deadline nears.
News
House Passes Farm Labor Bill; Industry Shifts Focus to Senate
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act Dec. 11. The legislation was crafted over a period of months with a core group of bipartisan supporters, and garnered 34 Republican votes. It still faced Republican opposition: of the 165 votes against it, 161 were cast by Republicans. The final vote was 260-165; three Democrats dissenting.
Bipartisan House Members Introduce Farm Workforce Modernization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On October 30th, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Collin Peterson (D-MN-07), Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) introduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to provide a compromise solution for American agriculture. The bill was introduced with the strong bipartisan support of 24 Democrats and 20 Republicans.
H-2A Advertising Rule
Congress is back in session following their August recess, and negotiations are ongoing on agricultural immigration reform legislation to address the current workforce and to reform the “future flow” visa program. At the same time, the Department of Labor is in the process of making significant changes to the existing H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program.
Demise of Key Environment Bill Could Escalate California’s Water Wars
Gov. Newsom said he won’t approve Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins’ bid for a legal backstop against environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration.
The smoke has (partly) cleared from the legislative battlefield, in the aftermath of a struggle pitting the leader of the California Senate against not only powerful water and agricultural interests but also Gov. Gavin Newsom. And California’s two largest water-delivery systems may soon be operating under rules that differ ever more significantly.