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Category Archives: Farm Labor

How California’s farm labor shortage made friends of old rivals – from the Los Angeles Times

July 10, 2018   Office of Public Affairs

By Geoffrey Mohan D’Arrigo Bros. and the United Farm Workers once took more than 25 years to reach a contract, and for many years afterward they communicated mostly through court filings and job actions.   But the top leafy green grower in California’s Salinas Valley and the national union founded by Cesar Chavez just inked a three-year contract amid fanfare …

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Posted in Farm Labor, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This Robotic Wheelbarrow Will Follow Farmworkers As They Pick Berries – from Fast Company

March 2, 2018   Office of Public Affairs

An automated helper is designed to be a helpful companion to farm workers, so they don’t have to carry the produce they pick. By Adele Peters When farmworkers harvest table grapes in California’s Central Valley in 109-degree August weather, part of the job involves repeatedly wheeling about 80 pounds of grapes hundreds of feet down a long row of grapevines. …

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Posted in Farm Labor | 2 Comments

Latino Farmer Conference coming up November 15 in Monterey

October 26, 2016   Office of Public Affairs

The second annual Growing Together Latino Farmer Conference will be held Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, in Monterey, California. This annual conference is unique in that it is conducted in Spanish and translated into English for all attendees. “Hispanic farmers and ranchers are a dynamic growing demographic in California and this conference aims to help Spanish-speaking farmers share, learn and grow …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Farm Labor | Leave a comment

Social responsibility grows into a tradition at Fowler Packing Company

December 22, 2015   Office of Public Affairs

Established in 1950, Fowler Packing has been a staple in the Fresno community, operating two packing, cooling, and storage facilities covering more than 650,000 square feet at the company’s Fresno location. The company’s day-to-day achievements, like providing jobs and getting a lot of produce ready for the rest of us, are worthy of recognition – but what brought CDFA Secretary …

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Posted in Farm Labor, Food Access, Nutrition | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Drought relief program offers training for impacted workers

May 26, 2015   Office of Public Affairs

The California Drought Employment Training Program provides 12 different training opportunities, each requiring roughly 250 hours for completion, to workers, employers and students impacted by the drought. Training programs include Irrigation Technicians, Logistics Technicians, Industrial Maintenance Technicians, Water Treatment Operators, Forklift and Warehouse Technicians, Food Safety Technicians, Qualified Applicators License, and Manufacturing Production Technologists. The program is funded through an …

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From the Bakersfield Californian: Paramount’s Lynda Resnick leads Lost Hills transformation

September 5, 2014   Office of Public Affairs

From the Bakersfield Californian BY JOHN COX Californian staff writer Ruben Garcia remembers life in the western Kern County town of Lost Hills 30 years ago when there were few street lights, little to do and most roads were dusty or, depending on the season, muddy. But after hearing of Paramount Farms’ recent improvements to the town, the retired county …

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Posted in Community-based Food System, Farm Labor | 1 Comment

Migrant farmworker housing: Part of the solution for our industry’s workforce – and their families

May 30, 2014   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Recently, I had the privilege of taking part in a tour of several housing centers for our state’s migrant farmworkers hosted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.  I was eager to participate in this tour with Business, Consumer Services and Housing Secretary Anna Caballero because of our shared commitment to work “across Cabinet” to improve existing and …

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Posted in AG Vision, Farm Labor | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Robots to Revolutionize Farming, Ease Labor Woes – From the Associated Press via SF Gate

July 15, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

  http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Robots-to-revolutionize-farming-ease-labor-woes-4665421.php#photo-4914491 By GOSIA WOZNIACKA and TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press SALINAS, Calif. (AP) — On a windy morning in California’s Salinas Valley, a tractor pulled a wheeled, metal contraption over rows of budding iceberg lettuce plants. Engineers from Silicon Valley tinkered with the software on a laptop to ensure the machine was eliminating the right leafy buds. The engineers were …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Farm Labor, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment