Industry

The new Expanding Our Roots: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Mentorship Program will begin accepting enrollments on February 21. The free program is designed for farmers and ranchers with one to 10 years of experience and will pair 200 new farmers/ranchers with mentors who have more than 10 years of experience.

The California Avocado Commission’s District 1 and District 2 board members are hosting a grower meeting in Fallbrook, CA on February 19. Learn more.

The University of Florida, University of California – Riverside, University of California – Davis, University of Hawaii and Texas A&M University are conducting a laurel wilt and Phytophthora root rot survey to gather information concerning growers’ cultural management decisions and better determine the economic costs of management options.

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California is experiencing an unusually high number of invasive fruit fly detections this season. Quarantines are currently in place for the Oriental fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly in California avocado growing regions. Learn more.

AB-865 is proposed legislation that would require listed produce sold in California to be produced in accordance with California’s standards and policies in areas like pesticide use, wages and child labor laws. If enacted, AB-865 would require a “distributor that sells one of those agricultural products to a retailer with more than one retail location to provide to the retailer the self-attestation form received from a grower or producer.”

The Commission’s Board of Directors currently has a Handler Member and Handler Alternate Member seat available. Appointees will fill the vacant seats for the remainder of their unexpired terms: October 31, 2024 for the Member seat and October 31, 2025 for the Alternate Member.

The San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures' 2023 Crop Report Questionnaire is now available online. The deadline to complete the survey is February 28.

The Ventura County Resource Conservation District is now accepting applications for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program block grants, as well as the Healthy Soils Program block grants. Learn more.

The California Avocado Commission joined 31 other California agricultural entities in drafting and signing a letter urging Congress to prioritize a disaster relief package for farmers and ranchers impacted by unprecedented weather events in 2023. Learn more.

The University of California Cooperative is seeking growers who would benefit from a free pre-harvest agricultural irrigation water assessment and food safety technical assistance in Spanish. Learn more.