You’re invited to join the Soil Health & Cotton in the San Joaquin Valley event, hosted by the Soil Health Institute, on October 8th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. CEUs are available! Space is limited, so please RSVP. Attendees will start the morning with coffee and donuts before heading into the field to hear from two local cotton farmers, Gary Martin and Doug Britton, about their experiences using soil health practices. Other speakers include Madeline Tome from the Soil Health Institute, Dr. Shaharoona and Elizabeth Hessom from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Noah Link from the Carbon Cycle Institute. Lunch will also be provided. For more information and event details, please view the flyer below.

Register Here!

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) proposes to amend the pesticide regulatory program activities affected by the proposal are those pertaining to pesticide worker safety. In summary, the proposed action will amend decontamination requirements for employees handling pesticides, improve eyewash regulation compliance, and clarify language between sections that mention eyewash equipment or decontamination supplies. This proposed action will require that employees who mix and load pesticides having a high potential for eye injury have access to an eyewash station that meets the requirements found in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z358.1-2014 standard. Additionally, it will require that all employees, who handle products that require protective eyewear on their labeling, have access to a personal eyewash unit containing at least one pint of eyewash fluid. It will require employers of employees handling pesticides for uses other than the commercial or research production of an agricultural plant commodity to provide a decontamination site within 100 feet of the mixing/loading site or fumigation site for employees, regardless of the pesticide signal word. The proposed action will also clarify language pertaining to decontamination equipment, remove duplicative requirements, and ensure standardization. Lastly, the proposed action will clarify a personal protective equipment (PPE) exemption that applies when handling liquid fumigants.

Cal/OSHA held an advisory meeting this week to discuss potential revisions to California’s Protection from Wildfire Smoke Standard. The meeting provided stakeholders an opportunity to comment on potential regulatory language being developed to implement AB 2243.

During the meeting, worker advocacy organizations urged Cal/OSHA to consider requirements beyond the draft language under discussion, including lowering the PM2.5 AQI threshold from 151 to 101 beyond the proposed respiratory protection for agricultural employees at an AQI of 300 instead of the current threshold of 500. These organizations also suggested expanding the scope of the standard beyond wildfire smoke to include smoke from prescribed burns.

Assistant Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez testified in opposition to these changes and questioned whether sufficient occupational exposure data has been provided to justify the substantially lower thresholds or for expanding a regulation specifically developed to address wildfire smoke to other sources. Rodriguez stated. “We have significant concerns with lowering the Air Quality Index (AQI) threshold from 151 to 101 without clear occupational data demonstrating that this significant expansion is necessary.” Rodriguez also questioned the justification for treating agricultural workers differently from other outdoor employees. “Agriculture is not the only industry with employees performing work outdoors,” Rodriguez said. “If Cal/OSHA believes agricultural workers face a unique risk requiring a substantially lower threshold, it should provide the data demonstrating that difference.”

The Associations stressed that these changes could significantly increase compliance obligations and costs for agricultural employers and urged Cal/OSHA not to adopt lower thresholds or include burns beyond the scope without sufficient scientific and occupational evidence.

Cal/OSHA will consider written and verbal stakeholder comments as it evaluates potential revisions to the standard. Another advisory meeting is expected to be scheduled to continue the discussion.

Agricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. Now that the base allocation process is complete, producers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026, and for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Because eligible acres exceeded the nationwide 30-million-acre cap, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is applying an across-the-board, prorated reduction of 3.69% to all newly allocated base acres.

The opportunity for landowners to review their base allocation summaries and take necessary action ended Aug. 31, 2026. Base allocation notifications will be available beginning Sept. 16, 2026. Landowners can access notifications online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account. Landowners who do not currently have a Login.gov account can contact their FSA county office to obtain their base allocation notification beginning Sept. 16, 2026. Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2026 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Existing multi-year contracts ended in 2025, but producers have the option to sign a new multi-year contract for 2026 through 2031. Producers who opt out of a multi-year contract can enroll for the 2027 crop year starting Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. If producers do not submit their 2026 election by Dec. 11, 2026, their election remains the same as their 2025 election for crops on the farm, and the farm is ineligible for payments for the 2026 program year. Landowners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm. Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC election and enrollment can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products. Producers can now add SCO coverage or the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) regardless of their ARC or PLC election. Previously, producers who elected ARC-CO or ARC-IC were ineligible to purchase the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider for the same acres, but The Working Families Tax Cuts Act removed this restriction.  For more information on ARC and PLC, visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact your local FSA County Office.

Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom will be the opening keynote speaker for the 2027 Crop Consultants Conference at the Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, California beginning on Wednesday, September 23^rd. The two day event is packed with informative topics, and most importantly you can obtain up to 12 DPR continuing education units (CEUs) and up to 17 Certified Crop Advisor CEUs. For the DPR CEUs, 4.0 will be CDPR Laws and Regulations and 8.0 will be CDPR Other (Pest Management). The CCA credit come from 10 sessions on Crop Management, 11 sessions on Integrated Pest Management, 5 sessions on Professional Development and 2 sessions on Soil and Water Management. Many of the topics will focus on nutrition and soil: sap analysis, fertigation, micronutrients, tissue testing, nitrogen management, cover crops, soil biology, water technology and biologicals. Isom will be providing a regulatory update on pesticide regulations and efforts coming in the near future. To register, please visit https://jcsmarketinginc.com/ccc-attendees/

Those planning to attend the 2027 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, set for January 5-7 (Tuesday- Thursday) at the Omni Forth Worth Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, may now register HERE!  More information about the 2027 BWCC, including a link to make housing reservations and view our online program, is at www.cotton.org/beltwide. Room reservations must be made prior to or on December 14 to obtain the Conferences’ special room rate of $185 single/double plus taxes and fees. If you should encounter problems with your pre-registration or with housing reservations, call the NCC at 901-274-9030 and ask for Lauren Krogman.

Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom and Association Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez conducted a tag team presentation to the Ag Leadership Class at Fresno Pacific University last week. Isom and Rodriguez talked about the Association and their responsibilities. They also provided an overview of the issues the Association is tackling, and the political environment they must work in. That led to a discussion on how to be successful in that environment through involvement, engagement and leadership. Priscilla drew upon her experiences and lessons learned with the California Ag Leadership Program in explaining on how to be successful in California. Isom provided several examples of working with legislators and finding common ground. The Ag Leadership Professional Certificate gives participants direct access to California agricultural leaders. Through candid conversations and guided reflection, participants will see how professionals address finances, marketing, organizational development, nutrition, workforce challenges and government relations.

Cotton & Coffee is Tuesday, September 15, at 7:30 a.m. Central.

Cotton Incorporated provides ongoing analysis of global cotton markets, offering data-driven insight into price trends, supply and demand, and the factors shaping the industry’s economic landscape. This month, Cotton Incorporated’s Chief Economist Jon Devine will join us for a timely Cotton Economic Update, sharing an overview of the market forces influencing cotton today. Join us this Tuesday, September 15, for Cotton & Coffee to gain valuable insight into current trends and the economic outlook for the year.

Register for Zoom link here.

Meeting ID:  859 1847 3898 

Passcode: Cotton1

Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom was invited to address the Transatlantic Legislative Dialogue (TLD) made up of members from Congress and members from the European Parliament in the European Union (EU). Joining Isom was Alexi Rodriguez, of the Almond Alliance. Topics discussed included conversations about California cotton and tree nuts, and then got into more specific issues including MRLs, and the new packaging and sustainability requirements being put forth by the EU. From the congressional side, Congressman Nathaniel Moran (TX), and Congressman Jim Costa and Congressman Adam Gray from California were in attendance. Representing the EU were Brando Benifei, Italy; Sophie Wilmès, Belgium; David McCallister, Germany; Bernd Lange, Germany; Miriam Lexmann, Slovakia; Michael Szczerba, Poland; Marta Wcislo, Poland; Zeljana Zovko, Croatia; Lina Galvez, Spain; Tonino Picula, Croatia; Roman Haider, Austria; Julien Sanchez, France; Rihards Kols, Latvia; Adam Bielan, Poland; Sergey Lagodinskey, Germany; and Martin Schirdewan, Germany. The TLD is a collaborative initiative between the United States Congress and the European Parliament aimed at enhancing political discourse and cooperation on issues of mutual concern. Established in 1999, it meets biannually to address topics such as trade, climate policy, and security matters.

The California Cotton Industry Research Committee, made up from the three principal funding groups for California cotton research, sends out a “Request for Proposal” each year to researchers and educators known to the cotton industry as having interests and involvement in research that could benefit the cotton industry in California. By combining the research funding efforts from these three groups into one, projects are funded through a more streamlined process and effective process. This research request is for 2026-2027 projects. The dead- line for receipt of proposals is 5:00 PM (close of business day) on Monday, August 31, 2026. This is a firm deadline. No extensions will be granted due to the need to reproduce proposals, distribute them to the committee, and allow time for review prior to the Committee meeting. If you have any questions, reach out to priscilla@ccgga.org.