UCCE - Cotton Production Meetings/ Preparing for Harvest
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Hodel’s Country Restaurant, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield Off Highway 99, Take the Olive Street exit
Breakfast and registration begins 7:15 a.m. - Program runs 8:00-9:15 a.m.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Comfort Inn, 10 N. Irwin Street, Hanford
2 blocks north of H. 198, N. of railroad. I Block east of Redington, 6 blocks W. 10th
Breakfast and registration begins 7:15 a.m. - Program runs 8:00-9:15 a.m.

All meals included. Sponsored by California Cotton Growers Alliance, Supima, and California Cotton State Support Committee
For more information call:
Steve Wright (559) 684-3315 OR Brian Marsh (661)-868-6210

Please click on the printable flyer for all the details - Printable Flyer

USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program General Sign-up
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 26, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that a general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will begin on August 2, 2010 and continue through August 27, 2010. During the sign-up period, farmers and ranchers may offer eligible land for CRP's competitive general sign-up at their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. The 2008 Farm Bill authorized USDA to maintain CRP enrollment up to 32 million acres. Jim Miller, Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services, made the announcement on behalf of Secretary Vilsack during a conference call with reporters.
"America's farmers and ranchers play an important role in improving our environment, and for nearly 25 years, CRP has helped this nation build sound conservation practices that preserve the soil, clean our water, and restore habitat for wildlife," said Miller. "Today’s announcement will help us create a greener and healthier America, and I encourage all interested farmers and ranchers to contact their local FSA office to learn more how to take advantage of this opportunity.”
To help ensure that interested farmers and ranchers are aware of the sign-up period, USDA has signed partnership agreements with several conservation and wildlife organizations, which will play an active role in USDA’s 2010 CRP outreach efforts. Additionally, Secretary Vilsack has recorded two public service announcements, which are available to the press and public at www.fsa.usda.gov/psa.
CRP is a voluntary program that assists farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers to use their environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolling in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers in exchange for rental payments, cost-share, and technical assistance. CRP protects millions of acres of America's topsoil from erosion and is designed to improve the nation's natural resources base. Participants voluntarily remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production by entering into long-term contracts for 10 to 15 years. In exchange, participants receive annual rental payments and a payment of up to 50 percent of the cost of establishing conservation practices.
By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP also protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to wildlife population increases in many parts of the country. As a result, CRP has provided significant opportunities for hunting and fishing on private lands.
Land currently not enrolled in CRP may be offered in this sign-up provided all eligibility requirements are met. Additionally, current CRP participants with contracts expiring this fall covering about 4.5 million acres may make new contract offers. Contracts awarded under this sign-up are scheduled to become effective Oct. 1, 2010.
FSA implements CRP on behalf of Commodity Credit Corporation. FSA will evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers using an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) for environmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. The EBI consists of five environmental factors (wildlife, water, soil, air and enduring benefits) and cost. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends and after analyzing the EBI data of all the offers.
Those who would have met previous sign-up EBI thresholds are not guaranteed a contract under this sign-up. In addition to the general sign-up, CRP's continuous sign-up program will be ongoing. Continuous acres represent the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. For more information, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

$10 Million More Available to Help Ag Producers Improve Air Quality
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California announced $10 million in additional funding for farmers and ranchers interested in reducing air quality emissions from off-road mobile or stationary agricultural sources.  This funding is in addition to over $13 million available earlier this year for agricultural air quality improvements through the 2008 Farm Bill’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The funding offers agricultural producers incentives for retiring old inefficient engines that contribute to air pollution problems.  "This program has been so successful that we wanted to make more funding available for the large number of farmers and ranchers still requesting assistance this year,” said Ed Burton, NRCS State Conservationist for California. “We’ll be able to help more producers than we did in 2009.”  The program’s success shows in the numbers: NRCS administered $18.7 million and funded 335 applications for replacement of on-farm diesel combustion engines in 2009.  There are 36 counties eligible to use the funds to help achieve compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The eligible counties are Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yolo.

Cotton Production Meetings - June 2010 - Kings, Kern, Fresno, and Tulare Counties
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hodel’s Country Restaurant, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield Off Highway 99, Take the Olive Street exit
Breakfast and registration begins 7:15 a.m. Program runs 8:00-9:15 a.m.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Session One: Comfort Inn, 10 N. Irwin Street, Hanford
2 blocks north of H. 198, N. of railroad. I Block east of Redington, 6 blocks W. 10th
Breakfast and registration begins 7:15 a.m.
Program runs 8:00-9:15 a.m.
Session Two: West Side Research & Education Center, Five Points
Program runs 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Luncheon follows
All meals included.
Sponsored by California Cotton Growers Alliance, Supima, and California Cotton State Support Committee
For more information, call Steve Wright (559) 684-3315 or (559) 582-3211 ext 2730.
Printable Flyer

UC Davis - Precision Ag in California
July 14th 2010, UC Davis, Davis CA
Despite significant soil and crop variability in California’s agricultural fields, Site-Specific Management (SSM) has not been commonly used by the local industry. Many people are unfamiliar with geotechnologies and the principles of SSM which has limited widespread adoption of this valuable tool.
Workshop Goal
Present and discuss SSM concepts and applied research in order to provide the audience with a comprehensive understanding of how to identify and manage within-field variability to improve crop management.
Target Audience
Soils and crop management professionals, including UCCE Farm Advisors and Specialists, Pest Control Advisers, Certified Crop Advisers, and others having an interest in improving their knowledge of SSM techniques.
Location/Time
UC Davis campus – Conference Center
July 14th 2010 (day before Weed Day), from 8am to 5:00pm
PCA and CCA credits pending
Please visit: http://ucanr.org/sites/paica/ for all the details.

URGENT ALERT!  SALINAS AREA GROWERS & CONTRACTORS U.S. D.O.L. SWEEPS ARE ONGOING!

The Department of Labor (D.O.L.):

1. May conduct investigations and gather data on wages, hours, and other employment conditions or practices to determine compliance with the FLSA, FMLA, MSPA and field sanitation standards of OSHA.  
2. Investigations may be made with little or no notice. 
3. Most investigations are initiated by complaints.  However, the DOL targets certain industries including agriculture.  
4. Investigations typically consist of: examination of records including payroll and time records; examination of payroll and time records and taking notes of making transcriptions or photocopies; interviews with certain employees in private. 
5. If the DOL requests I-9s they must provide 72 hours notice.
6. Employers may be represented by their attorneys at any point during the process. 
7. Key personnel from your company can be present.  Key personnel can and should restrict the inspector’s access to areas specifically designated for inspection.  Key personnel can and should mark documents the Department of Labor requests to see.
8. See Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) Disclosures and Posting (WH-516).

Heat Illness Prevention - Inspections
With rising temperatures, there has been a tremendous increase in unannounced surprise inspections of farms, shops and processing facilities by Cal/OSHA to determine compliance with the Heat Illness Prevention requirements. 

If you do not have your Heat Illness Prevention Program in place you should do so immediately.  We advise you to ensure that you have the following in place:

1. Make sure you have a written program in place that is customized to your operation
2. Ensure your employees are trained in heat illness prevention
3. Ensure that suitably cool water is available at all times
4. Make sure that shade is available, as well as somewhere to sit under that shade
5. Make sure that a responsible employee at each location has a method of communication to contact emergency services and a map to be able to use to describe how to get to that location

These are the primary issues being looked at by OSHA inspectors.  We have had members/clients visited in the past two weeks, and suspect many more inspections will occur in the coming weeks as the temperatures get back in the upper 90’s and 100’s.  Please contact our office should you have any questions, or need any assistance.

USDA's Farm Service Agency Reminds Producers to File Annual Report of Acreage to Meet Farm Program Requirements
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2010 - USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Jonathan Coppess today reminded producers to submit their annual report of acreage to their local FSA county office to meet FSA program eligibility requirements.
"Producers must file their reports accurately and timely for all crops and land uses, including prevented and failed acreage, to ensure they receive the maximum FSA program benefits possible," said Coppess.
Accurate acreage reports are necessary to determine and maintain eligibility for various programs, such as the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program and newer programs authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Programs include the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm Raised Fish Program (ELAP).
Acreage reports are considered timely filed when completed by the applicable final crop reporting deadline, which may vary from state to state. Prevented acreage must be reported within 15 calendar days after the final planting date. Failed acreage must be reported before the disposition of the crop. Producers should contact their county FSA office if they are uncertain about reporting deadlines.
Late-filed provisions may be available to producers who are unable to meet the reporting deadline as required. Reports filed after the established deadline must meet certain requirements to be accepted and may be charged late fees.
Producers should visit their county FSA office to complete acreage reporting. For questions on this or any FSA program, including specific crop reporting deadlines and planting dates, producers should contact their county FSA office. More information on FSA programs is at: www.fsa.usda.gov.

EPA Strengthens Smog Standard
For those in California, who thought environmental regulations couldn’t get any tougher, well…The United States Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog, otherwise known as ground-level ozone.  Ozone is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease.  EPA is proposing to replace the standards set by the Bush administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.  EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson says “Using the best science to strengthen these standards is a long overdue action that will help millions of Americans breathe easier and live healthier.”  The agency is proposing to set the “primary” standard, which protects public health, at a level between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million (ppm) measured over eight hours.  In September 2009 Administrator Jackson announced that EPA would reconsider the existing ozone standards, set at 0.075 ppm in March 2008.  As part of its reconsideration, EPA conducted a review of the science that guided the 2008 decision, including more than 1,700 scientific studies and public comments from the 2008 rulemaking process.  EPA also reviewed the findings of the independent Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which recommended standards in the ranges proposed today. EPA is also proposing to set a separate “secondary” standard to protect the environment, especially plants and trees.  This seasonal standard is designed to protect plants and trees from damage occurring from repeated ozone exposure, which can reduce tree growth, damage leaves, and increase susceptibility to disease.

USDA Enhances Integrity and Defensibility of Farm Programs and Streamlines Payment Limits for Family Farmers
(DAVIS, CA) Jan. 6, 2010 – Val Dolcini, State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in California announced that USDA is partnering with the Internal Revenue Service to reduce fraud in farm programs and streamline payment limits for family farmers. The actions are intended to strengthen the integrity and defensibility of USDA farm safety net programs and help the agricultural industry to meet requirements included in the 2008 Farm Bill.
"This cooperative partnership will ensure that the producers who depend upon the safety net of USDA programs will have future access to these programs by enhancing the overall integrity of the programs," said Dolcini. "It will also provide more flexibility for family farm operations across the country."
As part of today's announcement, USDA has finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with the Internal Revenue Service to establish an electronic information exchange process for verifying compliance with the adjusted gross income provisions for programs administered by USDA's FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service. This agreement will ensure that payments are not issued to producers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds certain limits. The limits set in the 2008 Farm Bill are $500,000 nonfarm average AGI for commodity and disaster programs; $750,000 farm average AGI for direct payments; and $1 million nonfarm average AGI for conservation programs.
The electronic process that USDA developed with IRS reviews data from tax returns, performs a series of calculations, and compares these values to the AGI limitations from the 2008 Farm Bill. FSA and NRCS will receive a record that indicates whether or not the program participant appears to meet the income limits. Written consent will be required from each producer or payment recipient for this process. No actual tax data will be included in the report that IRS sends to USDA. As part of the review and evaluation process, participants whose AGI may exceed the limits will be offered an opportunity to provide third party verification or other information to validate their income.
Meanwhile, beginning with the 2010 program year, USDA has amended the rules that govern the requirements to be 'actively engaged' in farming. These rules apply to eligibility for payments under the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) or Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

USDA has implemented the following change to permit certain operations, most often family-run operations, to meet 'actively engaged' in farming requirements under less restrictive rules.
Every stockholder or member of a legal entity, such as a corporation, does not have to contribute labor or management if both of the following apply:

1. at least half of the interest in the legal entity is held by stockholders or members who are providing active personal labor or active personal management that altogether qualifies as a significant contribution to the farming operation;
2. the total direct payments received, both directly and indirectly, by the legal entity and each of the members does not exceed $40,000.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Roundup Ready® Flex Pima Sales for 2010
ST LOUIS and INDIANAPOLIS – (November 2, 2009) – Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, announced today that the companies have reached agreement on a stewardship plan which will provide California cotton growers access to a PhytoGen® Pima variety with the Genuity Roundup Ready Flex trait for the 2010 growing season. 
“Cotton farmers have told us that the Genuity Roundup Ready Flex trait is a great value to them,” said Tom Schaefer, Monsanto cotton traits marketing lead.  “A group of growers in California asked us to pursue appropriate regulatory approvals of the Genuity Roundup Ready Flex trait in Pima with international regulatory agencies and we are actively engaged in that process.  In the meantime, because the industry is aligned to contain the seed products at ginning and throughout the value stream to limit distribution, we can offer this as a proactive step to support California growers and the cotton industry while we await appropriate regulatory approvals.”
A stewardship program was needed because although Monsanto has initiated submissions required to obtain all necessary registrations, the company is awaiting certain approvals. With that in mind, Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences have worked across industry groups to provide a stewardship plan to contain the seed products at ginning and throughout the value chain, and to limit distribution of these products to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico at this time.  To take advantage of this plan, PhytoGen Seed Company, in selling Genuity Roundup Ready Flex Pima seed, will limit sales to California growers who have signed the required stewardship agreement.
Dow AgroSciences has one Pima variety (PhytoGen PHY 805 RF) with the Genuity Roundup Ready Flex trait that it intends to offer for sale under the stewardship program for 2010.
”We are so pleased to be able to offer this new Pima variety to California growers,” said Duane Canfield, Market Specialist for Dow AgroSciences. “The Genuity Roundup Ready Flex trait in Pima will give California cotton growers all of the weed control benefits in Pima they have enjoyed in Acala.”
The companies pointed to the cooperation of the California Cotton Growers and Ginners Association and its member gins, the National Cotton Council, and American Cotton Producers Association, as well as J.G. Boswell Company, as instrumental in the development of this agreement. 

Another Version of I-9 Form
There is yet again another version of the I-9 Form.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Office of Management and Budget has extended its approval of Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to Aug. 31, 2012. Consequently, USCIS has amended the form to reflect a new revision date of Aug. 7, 2009.

You may use the Form I-9 with the revision date of either Aug. 7, 2009 or Feb. 2, 2009 for all new hires. The revision dates are located on the bottom right-hand portion of the form.  The I-9 forms are attached here, please click English or Spanish.