ag workers

With agricultural labor challenges across the entire sector, some farmers and ranchers are turning to a unique type of visa to alleviate the burden.  Samantha Ayoub is an associate economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation;   “TN visas are part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agr...

Immigration is a hot buttoned issue not only locally, but nationally as well.  What impact are those conversation and policy discussions having on tree fruit producers across the Northwest?  We put that question before Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council.     I...

On Wednesday, USDA’s Rural Housing Administrator Joaquin Altoro announced that more than $4 million in grants and loans will be used to repair and rehabilitate farmworker housing in Central Washington.     “The funding we’re announcing today will provide safe, modern homes for those who work hard to feed our nation, while also creating jobs for tradespeople who will build and restore these homes,”

The state of Oregon was recently awarded $956,333 for a project to rehabilitate a McMinnville multifamily affordable housing complex that serves farmworkers and their families.  The announcement of the USDA funds was made Tuesday by Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden and Representative Andrea Salinas.  Community Hom...

Oregonians stayed cooler and had cleaner air this summer, because of a program created by the Legislature.  Warming temperatures and wildfires make it more important for Oregonians to have air conditioning and air filters.  Oregon's Medicaid Director Emma Sandoe said some parts of the state are affected more than others.   “In rural ...

Forty-seven Democratic members of Congress have asked EPA Administrator Michael Regan to ban the use of the herbicide paraquat.  The lawmakers, led by Texas Congressman Greg Casar, told Regan the chemical is particularly dangerous for farmworkers.  Th...

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule to restore the pesticide Application Exclusion Zone requirements under the 2015 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.  The AEZ is an area surrounding outdoor pesticide application equipment where people are prohibited while pesticides are applied.  Th...

The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to pass legislation freezing the “flawed” 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR.  AFBF said the rate distorts labor costs for farmers across the country who hire nearly 400,000 employees through the H-2A program.   The bipartis...

USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and former Oregon Department of Agriculture head Alexis Taylor will lead a delegation of 26 agribusinesses and farm organizations to Panama City, Panama, March 19-23.  The mission highlights opportunities in Panama and throughout the Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement region.  Exports...

A bill supporters claim will fix Oregon's farm worker overtime law has cleared the state Senate.  But, opponents say the measure doesn’t mitigate the risk to the state’s farming community.   House Bill 4002 cleared the state legislature last year, mandating overtime for ag workers, and creating a host of problems for producers.  The new bill introduced ...