regulation

The National Cotton Council identified multiple priorities it must address to continue effectively representing the U.S. cotton industry on legislative and regulatory issues. What are some key priorities? • A major concern is ensuring an effective safety net for cotton producers is contained in the next farm law. As this column was being submitted, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of ... Read More »

The Southern Southeastern Annual Meeting will be held Jan. 17-20 at the Marriott Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This organization represents cotton growers and ginners throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Every year, more than 600 participants come together to gather information and network with major industry suppliers. The event kicks off Wednesday afternoon, ... Read More »

COMMENTARY By Kari Fisher California Farm Bureau Federation The ongoing confusion continues over what is a “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) and about which waters can be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, with farmers and ranchers hoping this current administration’s actions will bring much-needed clarity and certainty. On June 27, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Army ... Read More »

On Aug. 31, a Texas federal judge invalidated the expansion of the federal overtime rule. As the rule was originally written, the salary threshold for employees to qualify as exempt from overtime pay requirements was increased from $23,660 per year to $47,476 per year. District Court Judge Amos L. Mazzant found that the Department of Labor does not have the ... Read More »

Across California, farmers and ranchers face persistent problems in finding and hiring qualified and willing people to work in agriculture, according to a survey conducted by the California Farm Bureau Federation. The informal survey of Farm Bureau members showed that more than half of responding farmers had experienced employee shortages during the past year. The figure was higher — 69 ... Read More »

Water regulations, including sustainable groundwater act, make uncertainty the norm for California growers By Vicky Boyd Managing Editor During the six-year California drought that ended earlier this year, Travis Fugitt watched as the standing water level in his wells dropped to about 250 feet from 160 feet. A fourth-generation producer of cotton and diversified row and tree crops near Bakersfield, California, ... Read More »

California water supply unpredictability complicates producers’ short- and long-term planning. By Vicky Boyd Managing Editor California received near-record rains and snow this past winter, filling reservoirs to the brim and prompting irrigation districts to allocate full water supplies. But cotton producers say the precipitation did little to eliminate the uncertainty caused by years of “regulatory drought” that reduces surface water supplies ... Read More »