WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced a new data report, the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement Seasonal Perishable Products Weekly Update, prepared in close partnership with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce). The weekly report is based on data provided by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and its Specialty Crops Market News Division.
“With the impact of COVID-19 on the produce industry, it is critical that we keep an eye on marketplace trends for seasonal and perishable products,” said USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach. “This report will help the federal agencies involved in overseeing the supply chain understand import trends as we work to address industry concerns.”
This new report was first issued in December 2020 and combines information published by AMS Market News into an easy to read description of the current market trends on key imported specialty crops. The commodities highlighted each week will vary seasonally and will change to follow importing seasons and crop cycles. On Sept. 1, 2020, USTR, Commerce and USDA issued a joint report on Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce which highlighted the need for a near-real time market report to provide USTR, Commerce and the public with the volume and prices for selected seasonal and perishable commodities.
The use of biological crop protection products or “biologicals” in vegetable and specialty crops is not a new idea, just one that is increasing in popularity.
The name sells itself. Biologicals represent a group of products derived from living organisms. Growers utilize environmentally friendly biologicals in combination with appropriate chemical applications to provide added protection against pests, diseases and weeds.
THE OLD WITH THE NEW “These products have been around for a long time, before the chemical age, if you will. This is how farmers farmed,” says Dean Craine, ag market business development manager with Douglas Plant Health. “This is how growers grew crops and learned how to do it well, whether with manures or compost or whatever resource they had that they turned into something useful. We call it our grandfathers’ way of farming.”
Craine says teaming today’s technology — including precision agriculture, NDVI photography and satellite imagery — with these old and very safe biologicals makes for a successful combination. “It’s where we need to head,” he says.
GROWER CHALLENGES The agricultural biological market has increased in importance due to various reasons. The world’s population continues to skyrocket. There are approximately 7.8 billion people in the world, up from 6.1 billion in 2000. A growing world population means more mouths to feed and increased dependence on farmers to be more innovative in trying to meet demand.
Sustainability is always an issue of importance as growers in the Southeast contend with pests, diseases, decreased market prices and imports from Mexico.
GETTING IT RIGHT Biologicals help meet those needs, but they need to be the right situation for the right farmer in the right region. Due to an overabundance of supplies being offered, growers need to be aware of what product is right for their farming operation.
“There have been many solutions that don’t stand up over time. They all probably worked somewhere once, but when you run across products said to work everywhere, obviously, you need to be skeptical,” Craine advises. “Look for products with a track record, some history, some data and sound science. This must be the way the grower comes at it. As a grower, it can be very frustrating to sort through all the noise.”
PAIRING PRODUCTS Industry experts classify biologicals into three categories: Biostimulants (liquid manure compost and seaweed extracts, for example), biopesticides (including Bacillus thuringiensis and mineral oil) and biofertility products (such as Rhizobium and Azotobacter bacteria).
When biofertility products get established in the soil, they can increase nutrient availability. Some of these products are synergistic, which allows for greater success when used in combination with each other.
“Those biofertilizers require the right biostimulants with them,” Craine says. “We generally define biostimulants as carbon products that feed biofertilizers and biopesticides. Biopesticides are products that have been studied carefully and can specifically target pests, whether they are diseases, insects or weeds. A lot of new work is pairing the right biostimulant with the right biofertilizer or biopesticide. This increases the biofertilizer or biopesticide’s adaptability and gives it a better shot at establishing in the soil or on a plant to do what it’s good at.
“If we’re going to replace some of the harsher chemistries, that’s how it’s going to be done, by pairing the right products to maximize their effectiveness.”
Spiropidion is an innovative new technology that can be used to protect a wide array of crops from some of the most damaging, and difficult to control, sucking pests
Spiropidion is safe to pollinators and beneficial insects, providing farmers with an important new tool in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, in line with Syngenta’s ongoing commitment to develop innovative and sustainable products
Basel / Switzerland, November 24, 2020 – Syngenta is proud to unveil Spiropidion, an innovative new insect control technology that will help farmers protect their crops against damaging sucking pests in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner.
Sucking pests, such as aphids, whiteflies, and scales, devastate high value fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, oranges and melons, as well as important arable crops like cotton and soybean. Spiropidion is safe to natural beneficial insects and pollinators, offering farmers a new tool for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
Spiropidion is the result of chemistry-driven innovation within a rare class of insecticides that helps crops from the inside, protecting the whole plant body from attack of damaging sucking pests, thereby securing crop quality, yields and the livelihood of farmers.
“We are excited to offer farmers a new active ingredient that provides more targeted protection against some of the most difficult and damaging sucking pests. The best way I can describe this new innovation is that it’s kind to nature but hard on pests!” said Jon Parr, President Global Crop Protection at Syngenta. “Spiropidion is another clear example of how we are accelerating investment to deliver plant health innovations that support farmers, across the world, to grow productively and sustainably.”
The first global registration of a formulated product containing Spiropidion was obtained in Guatemala in September 2020, where the product will be marketed under the brand name ELESTAL® Neo in the coming months. Planned launches of Spiropidion containing formulations also include Paraguay and Pakistan in 2021, and Brazil in 2023 (pending registrations). In the European Union, regulatory submission is anticipated for 2022-2023. Future launches across a broad range of crops in more than 60 countries across all continents are expected in the next six years, with peak sales estimated above $400 million.
About Syngenta
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies, comprising of Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group with 49,000 people in more than 100 countries and is working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to accelerating innovation for farmers and nature, striving for carbon neutral agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy and partnering for impact. To learn more, visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.
When the U.S. government announced its decision to suspend visa processing in Mexico on March 18 to combat the spread of COVID-19, growers around the country immediately expressed concerns that the action could have a major impact on agriculture and the U.S. food supply. The concern, of course, was due to the vital role that foreign workers play in the U.S. agriculture sector, as more than 90% of H-2A workers come from Mexico.
In response to growers’ concerns, the Trump administration provided several flexibilities to the H-2A program, allowing the program to continue without significant disruption.
Updates and initiatives for the H-2A program were discussed during the 46th annual Agricultural Labor Relations Forum presented by the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation. Brian Pasternak, administrator for the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) and Shane Barbour, center director of the Chicago National Processing Center, addressed this topic.
According to OFLC, the H-2A program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring non-immigrant foreign workers to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.
As a result of continued disruptions and uncertainty to the U.S. food agriculture sector amid COVID-19, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) deemed it necessary to temporarily extend the amendments to certain regulations regarding temporary and seasonal agricultural workers, and their U.S. employers, within the H-2A non-immigrant classification.
In the new rule, DHS extended the provision that temporarily allows all H-2A petitioners with a valid temporary labor certification to start employing certain foreign workers who are currently in the U.S. and who possess a valid H-2A status. DHS also extended the provision that allows H-2A workers to change employers and begin work before the new petition is approved by the USCIS.
The final rules are effective through Aug. 19, 2023. However, employers may request the flexibilities under this rule by filing an H-2A petition through Dec 17, 2020.
For more information regarding H-2A program updates, click here.
Ashley Robinson, AgNet Media communications intern, wrote this article.
Growers take steps to protect farmworkers’ health so they can continue to ensure an abundant, safe food supply is available to U.S. consumers.
Image source: The Pajaronian
By Amy Wolfe
While the country finds itself navigating unprecedented circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, growers across the Southeast have continued forging ahead in producing the safest possible food supply. That work has included a variety of challenges, including how best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the farm while considering the safety, health and well-being of the agricultural workforce.
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS
There are a variety of precautions to evaluate and implement on the farm to ensure the safety of farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners and management need to consider the following:
Communicating with Workers
The need for daily communication with workers is essential. The misinformation available through social media and other outlets has led to critical misunderstandings around how the virus is spread and what steps employers and employees need to take to minimize risk. As such, it is critical that employees receive the following information:
Remind workers about steps you are taking to keep them protected and identify who (supervisor, human resources or safety manager, owner, etc.) they should come to if they have questions or concerns.
Social Distancing
During the start of the shift, breaks and lunch, keep workers at least 6 feet apart.Provide additional seating, such as plastic or folding chairs, to ensure workers are off the ground.Stagger breaks and lunch if additional seating is not available.Stagger meetings and trainings at the start and end of the shift if additional seating is not available.
In the field, space workers out to provide distance between them. One row should be separating them when planting, pruning, thinning, harvesting or doing other field work. Make more than one pass through a field when harvesting product with equipment.
Drinking Water for the Crew
Assign an employee to serve drinking water to crew members from the communal water receptacle. Ensure the worker serving the water has proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including disposal gloves and a face mask or covering. Sanitize the spigot after filling disposable cups each break. Sanitize the spigot if it comes in contact with a reusable water container drinking area (example: mouth of a water bottle).
Hand soap, paper towels and potable water must always be available in portable restrooms.
Image source: Kerkstra Services
Portable Restrooms and Handwashing
Assign an employee to sanitize portable restrooms (door handles, locks and toilet seats) and handwashing facilities (spigot, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser) frequently during the day. Ensure the worker has proper PPE. Provide sanitizing products and train workers on how to properly sanitize. Frequently communicate the expectation that sanitation procedures are followed and assign a supervisory employee to monitor compliance.
Worker Transportation
If company vehicles are provided to workers, ensure that those vehicles are being cleaned and sanitized on the inside and outside regularly, ideally once a day. If it is essential to use transportation, such as a van or bus, to transport workers:
Sanitize at least twice a day (following employee pick-up and drop-off) all points of contact (seats, seat belts, knobs, doors, handles, buttons, etc.) that employees touch.
Ensure ample ventilation and airflow inside the vehicle.
If possible, seat workers spaced at least 6 feet apart.Consider additional trips to allow spacing of workers.
Assign seating so if a worker becomes ill, it is easy to identify those in proximity and take the appropriate next steps around informing them, as well as asking them to stay home from work for 14 days.
Sanitizing Equipment and Tools
More frequent sanitation of all equipment and tools is critical. Ensure teams already responsible for cleaning do so at least daily. Do not forget the following items, which can be overlooked:
Tractors, forklifts, ATVs and UTVs, including seats, seat belts, knobs, doors, handles and buttons.
Areas of congregation and meeting, both inside and outside. This includeschairs, shade trailers, buckets, refrigerators, coolers, water jugs, vending machines, garbage cans, bottles and containers used daily
Employee equipment and tools, including bins and hand tools
GENERAL FARM SAFETY
With the emphasis currently on new COVID-19 protocols, don’t overlook other tried-and-true agricultural safety measures. It is essential that one risk isn’t traded for another. With the summer months fast approaching, growers need to be mindful of the potential for heat-related illnesses. Ensure workers have access to ample drinking water and shade and that they are aware of the steps they should take if they begin to experience overheating symptoms.
In addition, be sure workers using equipment like tractors, forklifts and ATVs receive proper training on safe operation. Training should occur annually and include the process for inspecting the equipment prior to use, the correct operation of the equipment and the protocol for reporting any mechanical issues.
Lastly, it is important that growers remember to be mindful of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and the importance of ensuring workers now receive their appropriate annual training. The WPS was updated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 to include annual training for farmworkers not involved in pesticide application. They need to be provided details on routes and types of exposure, signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning, first aid care, after-work care of contaminated clothing, field postings and the concept of the re-entry interval, where to find the field worker decontamination site, the contents of safety data sheets, and how to stay out of the application exclusion zone.
The continued safety and health of farmworkers is paramount. It is critical that growers maintain vigilance with year-round safety issues, as well as consider the unique circumstances now impacting the industry as it navigates through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amy Wolfe is president and chief executive officer of AgSafe, headquartered in Modesto, California. AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing training, education, outreach and tools in the areas of safety, labor relations, food safety and human resources for the food and farming industries. For more information, visit www.agsafe.org, call 209-526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org.
Alabama lawmakers have never seen a legislative session like the one that took place this year. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced lawmakers to end Alabama’s 2020 legislative session early, causing several issues to fall by the wayside.
Legislators took a nearly two-month break during the COVID-19 outbreak, returing to Montgomery on May 4to pass state budgets and a few other bills before the regular session concluded May 18. Wearing masks and sitting apart, lawmakers gathered without lobbyists in the hallways or members of the public filling the galleries.
“Once lawmakers came back, the building was not open to the public … which was pretty unusual, especially taking on something as important as the budgets,” says Leigha Cauthen, Alabama Agribusiness Council executive director.
FUNDING FOR AGRICULTURE Due to the shortened timeframe, Education Trust Fund and General Fund budgets and local legislation were lawmakers’ top priorities.
The General Fund budget, at almost $2.4 billion, will greatly benefit the state’s agriculture industry. Under the proposed plan, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) will receive almost $15 million, including $100,000 in new appropriations for the North Alabama Agriplex, $130,000 for the industrial hemp program and $120,000 allocated to the Farm to School program. In addition, the new Sweet Grown Alabama state agricultural brand received $250,000.
Sweet Grown Alabama, which launched on March 13, is a non-profit organization that connects farmers in the state to retailers and consumers. Growers can market their produce anywhere in the state. The online database allows consumers to find farmers in their area. Farmers’ profiles include their location, products grown, social media links, website links and how consumers can buy their products.
In addition, the Soil and Water Conservation Committee will receive $2.9 million, including more than $81,000 in matching funds for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to increase on-farm irrigation.
“I think the ADAI was pleased with this year’s funding. At the beginning of the session we were all optimistic about the budgets, but as COVID-19 unfolded, the budgets fell back to the same funding levels as last year,” Cauthen said. “But, some new money made its way to the ag department, so that’s great that those needs were met even as the budget was being scaled back.”
BILLS LEFT HANGING IN THE BALANCE Unfortunately, none of the bills that were of particular interest to Alabama agriculture were passed by the Legislature during the session.
“We lost a couple of good bills that were left hanging in the balance, but it also kept some bills from passing that could have been detrimental to the agriculture industry,” said Cauthen.
She expects special sessions later this summer or into the fall to take up additional important issues of the state. But, for the most part, she expects to see the bills she was tracking reintroduced during next year’s session.
For a complete list of the bills being tracked by the Alabama Agribusiness Council, visit www.alagribusiness.org.
Florida Producer Sounds Off on Lack of Category 1 Status in CFAP
By Clint Thompson
Blueberries were left out of Category 1 status in CFAP.
While the blueberry industry was surprised as to how it was not eligible for Category 1 status in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), one Florida grower remains equally as dumbfounded.
“I was shocked when it came out. I was literally like, jaw on the ground, going how did we get left out of this deal?” said Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and is one of the state’s blueberry leaders. “It wasn’t a great year for us. And then to get left out of Category 1, it was really like salt in the wound.”
Had crops that suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Had produce shipped but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channel, and
Had shipments that did not leave the farm or mature crops that remained unharvested.
Blueberries Not Included
However, blueberry farmers were not included in Category 1 status, like many other specialty crop commodities, such as almonds, beans, broccoli and cabbage for example. Atwood insists that Category 1 is where most of the farmers were impacted when the coronavirus pandemic hit in mid-March.
“For Florida blueberry growers, we got screwed man. We got left out of Category 1. What that was, they compared the average price of blueberry sales. But the problem is, the government, not knowing what they were doing, compared April 6 to the 10, to January 6 to the 10. Well, January 6 to 10 is the peak of the Chilean imports season. The whole United States is flooded with blueberries at that time. The Florida season, historically, we’re on the fringe edge of when North America starts. We’re in a good spot, usually,” Atwood said. “If you look at historically, we were off as much as 50% on the average price of our sales during a good part of our season. They blew it man, I don’t know how else to say it. We’re hoping that we get put back in it on Category 1.”
Comment Period
When the USDA issued CFAP on May 21, it allowed for a comment period. This could lead to amendments being made to the guidelines set forth for blueberry producers. That is what industry leaders are hoping for.
Atwood farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States. He said the market impact from the pandemic was where he suffered the most.
“For me personally, I can’t speak for everyone in the industry, I picked all of my fruit, it was just that price was not good,” Atwood said. “It all stacked up in the coolers for 7 to 10 days until people started to figure out that life wasn’t ending, and they could go to work. By the time the world went back to normal, there was a surplus of everything out of there. Unfortunately, when that happens, that’s the only way to move that surplus from the marketer side of it, they just lower the price.”
USDA is accepting applications through August 28, 2020. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap.
As part of the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, the Farmers to Families Food Box Program is accepting requests for proposals to contract American-grown products to fill food boxes and distribute them to those in need.
Include all parts of the proposal in one single email. Deadline to apply is this Friday, May 1 by 1 p.m. To apply and for questions, email ERacquisition@usda.gov.
The program falls under the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities Act (CARES) passed by Congress in late March to support the overall economy. USDA will purchase $3 billion worth of agricultural products for producers to work with local and regional food distributors to deliver the food to food banks and food pantries, community and faith-based organizations and other feeding organizations.
Producers must submit a request for proposal of pre-approved commodities for contracted distribution indicating sizes, quantities and specific details. If awarded the contract, the producer is responsible for sourcing the products, preparing the boxes, soliciting and communicating with the nonprofit entity, and distributing the boxes in a mutually agreed upon schedule.
The newly announced $100-million-per-month USDA Buy Fresh program offers produce companies a way to sell products for government feeding programs.
And the application process starts right away.
The United Fresh Produce Association BB #:145458 said USDA told them the requests for proposals will open April 24; proposals are due back to USDA May 1; awards will be announced May 8; and deliveries will begin May 15.
The Buy Fresh program is part of the CARES Act stimulus program from the federal government to help companies struggling due to the government shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a webinar on April 21, David Tuckwiller of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, said AMS is getting out of its comfort zone with this program and moving very quickly to help food companies and U.S. citizens struggling for food during the economic downturn.
“Our goal is to support American farmers and feeding people,” he said.
Tuckwiller said Buy Fresh is only for sellers of fresh produce (no canned or dried) that is grown in the U.S. Ideally, fruits and vegetables would be packed in consumer-sized packages so that they could go “from the truck to the trunk,” he said.
That will put some pressure on suppliers to work together with partners to fulfill the government requirements, many of which are not used to working with USDA for food assistance, Tuckwiller acknowledges.
Mollie Van Lieu, senior director nutrition policy for United Fresh, said USDA knows feeding programs are under pressure because they don’t have many of their volunteers during the pandemic. Yet the demand for food is higher than ever.
Buy Fresh has similar programs for the dairy, pork and chicken industries, but within the fresh product program, certain commodities will have priority due to meeting foodbank needs and helping growers who have been hit the hardest, Van Lieu said.
These include berries, apples, oranges, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes and onions.
Robert Guenther, senior vice president public policy for United Fresh, said he hasn’t heard what USDA’s pricing model will be, but he doesn’t think it will be based on the lowest bid.
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will take several actions to assist farmers, ranchers and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency.
Sonny Perdue
President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to our farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain and ensure every American continues to receive and have access to the food they need.
“During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA are standing with our farmers, ranchers and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” Secretary Perdue said. “The American food supply chain had to adapt and it remains safe, secure, and strong, and we all know that starts with America’s farmers and ranchers. This program will not only provide immediate relief for our farmers and ranchers, but it will also allow for the purchase and distribution of our agricultural abundance to help our fellow Americans in need.”
CFAP will use the funding and authorities provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and other USDA existing authorities. The program includes two major elements to achieve these goals.
Direct Support to Farmers and Ranchers: The program will provide $16 billion in direct support based on actual losses for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted and will assist producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.
USDA Purchase and Distribution: USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels and other food service entities, to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat. We will begin with the procurement of an estimated $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables, $100 million per month in a variety of dairy products and $100 million per month in meat products. The distributors and wholesalers will then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy and meat products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other non-profits serving Americans in need.
On top of these targeted programs, USDA will utilize other available funding sources to purchase and distribute food to those in need. USDA has up to an additional $873.3 million in available in Section 32 f unding to purchase a variety of agricultural products for distribution to food banks. The use of these funds will be determined by industry requests, USDA agricultural market analysis and food bank needs.
The FFCRA and CARES Act provided at least $850 million for food bank administrative costs and USDA food purchases, of which a minimum of $600 million will be designated for food purchases. The use of these funds will be determined by food bank need and product availability.
Further details regarding eligibility, rates and other implementation will be released at a later date.
