Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Category Archives: Farm Labor


Farmworkers Advancement Program grant solicitation announced by EDD

Up to $9 million for skill-building, career advancement, upward mobility California’s Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, announces the availability of up to $9 million in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I Governor’s … Continue reading

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California Farmers and Farmworkers Month – meet a couple who have traveled both roads

To celebrate and thank our hardworking farmworkers and farmers, CDFA joins with California Grown this October to spotlight California Farmers and Farmworkers Month. In this video we learn about Pedro and Amelia Ceja, Napa/Sonoma vintners who began their journey in … Continue reading

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Cal/OSHA reminds employers to protect outdoor workers from heat illness

From a Cal/OSHA news release Cal/OSHA reminds all employers with outdoor workers to be prepared and take the necessary precautions to prevent heat illness, as high temperatures are expected throughout the state this week. Employers in California must take steps … Continue reading

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Ventura County launches system to alert farmworkers about dangerous air quality during wildfires – from KCLU

System will let farmworkers, farm staff know when masks are recommended and required By Lance Orozco Wildfires pose a threat to lives and homes on the Central and South Coasts. Smoke can also create a health danger for farmworkers. Now, … Continue reading

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Western FarmPress: 13 innovators picked to lead harvest automation initiative

The companies will get technical help in introducing robotics and other advances amid push to automate half of West’s specialty crop harvests by 2030. By Tim Hearden After weeks of consideration, Western Growers and its allies have placed their bets on 13 … Continue reading

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Farmworkers in the Land of Plenty – A digital exhibit from the California State Archives

California is one of the largest agricultural producing regions in the world generating billions of dollars in revenue every year. Farmworkers have come to California from various parts of the world to plant, care for, and harvest the crops of … Continue reading

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USDA introduces new features to help with H2A applications and loan details

The USDA has launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for H2A visas. Navigating the H-2A Visa Process: Focused on education and smaller owner-operators, this farmers.gov H-2A Phase I … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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Latino Farmer Conference coming up November 15 in Monterey

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 … Continue reading

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