Agriculture
Agriculture
Potato chips, strawberry milk, and the case for food ag-vocacy
Most Americans do not grow their own food. This disconnect between the farm gate, and the dinner plate has long been a concern for “ag-vocates” who’ve noted more people are unable to connect directly with reasons why agriculture is important. The recent announcement from Lays Potato Chips that 42 percent ...
Agriculture
Beef purchase plan escalates concerns in ag country
The comments sparked responses from various ag groups. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded with the following statement: The reality is that ranchers’ success is driven by their own hard work. America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. U.S. cattle producers ...
Agriculture
U.S. beef prices don’t need “fixing”
The comments came recently while the president was flying from Florida to Washington D.C., according to several reports. The plan to drive down the cost of American beef prices by purchasing Argentinian beef and dropping it into the American market has sparked outrage since the news broke. According to the ...
Agriculture
Read the latest on how tariffs hurt employers and workers
Soybean squabble points to larger ag problems to come
During the first Trump Administration Americans were asked to adopt the motto, “short term pain for long term gain.” During the current Trump Administration, the tariff war was kicked off with “Liberation Day.” With harvest season upon ag country, soybeans are taking center stage in the current trade war. China ...
Agriculture
Ag labor myths persist, posing challenges to reform
The national average for the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is $17.33/hr., with individual states being held to a fluctuating rate. California’s current federally mandated AEWR is $19.75/hr., making it one of the top five highest in the nation. However, wage rates are not the only cost associated with the ...
Agriculture
Livestock showing, public policy are more similar than it seems
As a veteran livestock exhibitor – rabbits, market lambs, and cattle – and as someone now involved in public policy, drawing parallels between the two was easy. Here are three things required in livestock showing and public policy: Patience If you’ve ever tried to train a wild animal, you know ...
Agriculture
New World Screwworms arrive in the U.S. Now what?
Given the global environment we live and work in today, New World Screwworms have always been a threat to the U.S. cattle herd. The confirmation of New World Screwworms being found in a person in Maryland who had traveled from Guatemala should put livestock raisers on alert. Complacency in a ...
Agriculture
Wage regulation roll back is a step in the right direction for the H-2A program
The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is the de facto minimum wage for H-2A workers in the United States. It is set annually and differs from state-to-state depending upon the prevailing wage of the local agricultural workforce. Because all H-2A workers are in the United States temporarily to work in ...
Agriculture
Compassion, meat eating can co-exist
Our conversation came back to me when I received an email from an animal rights activist. During the email exchange I wrote, “Please do not misunderstand me, as a former 4-H’er, a beef cattle owner and raiser, a researcher, and agriculture advocate, I understand your concerns, but I do not ...
Agriculture
County fairs are great opportunities to go meat shopping
Many of California’s county fairs host livestock exhibits giving youth exhibitors an opportunity to sell their livestock during a live auction. Money from the sale of livestock is often saved in college funds, spent on first-car purchases, or funneled into the following years’ project – teaching youth real world money ...
Potato chips, strawberry milk, and the case for food ag-vocacy
Most Americans do not grow their own food. This disconnect between the farm gate, and the dinner plate has long been a concern for “ag-vocates” who’ve noted more people are unable to connect directly with reasons why agriculture is important. The recent announcement from Lays Potato Chips that 42 percent ...
Beef purchase plan escalates concerns in ag country
The comments sparked responses from various ag groups. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded with the following statement: The reality is that ranchers’ success is driven by their own hard work. America’s cattlemen and women operate in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. U.S. cattle producers ...
U.S. beef prices don’t need “fixing”
The comments came recently while the president was flying from Florida to Washington D.C., according to several reports. The plan to drive down the cost of American beef prices by purchasing Argentinian beef and dropping it into the American market has sparked outrage since the news broke. According to the ...
Read the latest on how tariffs hurt employers and workers
Soybean squabble points to larger ag problems to come
During the first Trump Administration Americans were asked to adopt the motto, “short term pain for long term gain.” During the current Trump Administration, the tariff war was kicked off with “Liberation Day.” With harvest season upon ag country, soybeans are taking center stage in the current trade war. China ...
Ag labor myths persist, posing challenges to reform
The national average for the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is $17.33/hr., with individual states being held to a fluctuating rate. California’s current federally mandated AEWR is $19.75/hr., making it one of the top five highest in the nation. However, wage rates are not the only cost associated with the ...
Livestock showing, public policy are more similar than it seems
As a veteran livestock exhibitor – rabbits, market lambs, and cattle – and as someone now involved in public policy, drawing parallels between the two was easy. Here are three things required in livestock showing and public policy: Patience If you’ve ever tried to train a wild animal, you know ...
New World Screwworms arrive in the U.S. Now what?
Given the global environment we live and work in today, New World Screwworms have always been a threat to the U.S. cattle herd. The confirmation of New World Screwworms being found in a person in Maryland who had traveled from Guatemala should put livestock raisers on alert. Complacency in a ...
Wage regulation roll back is a step in the right direction for the H-2A program
The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is the de facto minimum wage for H-2A workers in the United States. It is set annually and differs from state-to-state depending upon the prevailing wage of the local agricultural workforce. Because all H-2A workers are in the United States temporarily to work in ...
Compassion, meat eating can co-exist
Our conversation came back to me when I received an email from an animal rights activist. During the email exchange I wrote, “Please do not misunderstand me, as a former 4-H’er, a beef cattle owner and raiser, a researcher, and agriculture advocate, I understand your concerns, but I do not ...
County fairs are great opportunities to go meat shopping
Many of California’s county fairs host livestock exhibits giving youth exhibitors an opportunity to sell their livestock during a live auction. Money from the sale of livestock is often saved in college funds, spent on first-car purchases, or funneled into the following years’ project – teaching youth real world money ...
