Steve Wilbur Steps Up To Chair World Ag Expo

Steve Wilbur introduced as 2022 World Ag Expo® Chairman

After a 16-month wait, the 2022 World Ag Expo® season was kicked off by Show Chairman Steve Wilbur on Saturday, September 25. The “Kickoff Dinner” was attended by volunteers, staff, and invited guests at the Social Hall on the International Agri-Center® grounds. For many, it was the first time they had seen each other since the 2020 show.

“This is a great night,” gushed Wilbur. “It is so good to be back together and working on a farm show!”

A local cotton farmer, Wilbur also runs a dairy with his family, grows feed and multiple row crops. He has previously served as the International Agri-Center® Board Chair, as well as being the 2014 Chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association and serving on the board of Cotton Inc.

The 2022 show proclaims World Ag Expo® is “Back in Agtion,” a play on words with a few meanings. While COVID-19 sidelined the live show in 2021, farmers and ag professionals never stopped working during the pandemic. Volunteers and staff are ready to bring back the live show and provide a place for everyone in ag to meet, shop, and learn something new. Plus, “Agtion” is a Dad-joke style play on “Action” reminding people that farm shows are a fun place to be.

“We’re so happy to be back,” said Jerry Sinift, International Agri-Center® CEO. “The 2021 digital show was an interesting experience, but we’re ready to get our boots on the show grounds to work with our exhibitors and host our attendees.”

The annual show is produced by the International Agri-Center®, a non-profit focused on agriculture education year-round.

Entering its 55^th year, World Ag Expo® is the largest annual outdoor ag tradeshow in the world. In 2020, the show saw 106,357 attendees from 46 states and 56 countries. With more than 1,400 exhibitors and 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, World Ag Expo® provides a platform for networking, education, and business in one of the most productive ag counties in the United States. Applications are open online for seminar submissions at https://bit.ly/WAE22SeminarApp and the Top-10 New Products Contest at https://bit.ly/WAE22Top10App.

Tickets are on sale online now at https://bit.ly/WAE22Tickets, and attendees can plan their visit at www.worldagexpo.org. With a diverse lineup of agriculture companies and seminars covering international trade, irrigation, ag policy, hemp, and more, there is something for every ag professional at the 2022 World Ag Expo®. The 55^th edition will run Tuesday, February 8 through Thursday, February 10, 2022 at the International Agri-Center® in Tulare, CA.

For more information, visit www.worldagexpo.org.

California Ag Today2021-11-04T23:15:38-07:00October 22nd, 2021|

Elaine Trevino is Tapped as U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the United States

Almond Alliance President Elaine Trevino Nominated as U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Almond Alliance of California President Elaine Trevino has been nominated by President Biden as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the United States Trade Representative. The position is responsible for conducting and overseeing international negotiations related to trade of the nation’s agricultural products – including California almonds.

Almond Alliance Chairman Mike Curry commented, “Although we will miss Elaine’s leadership and energy, we are excited for the almond industry, the Central Valley (where she grew up) and California agriculture to have such a passionate and committed person serving in the Chief Agricultural Negotiator role. We are thrilled to see Elaine nominated for this position and know that her experience with us at the Almond Alliance will carry over into her new role – working for farmers and ranchers, their families and the workers and businesses in the rural communities where we live.”

Curry noted that Elaine’s nomination requires U.S. Senate confirmation. “We assure our members that the Board of Directors of the Almond Alliance will lead a smooth transition in partnership with Elaine to identify and hire her successor. While we’re transitioning, the Board, Elaine and the Almond Alliance team will not skip a beat in our advocacy work on behalf of California almonds, both on the state and federal levels.”

As President of the Almond Alliance of California (AAC), Elaine leads a member-based trade association that advocates on regulatory and legislative issues in areas of international trade, food safety, water quality and availability, crop protection, air quality, worker safety, supply chain and feed quality.

Elaine has worked on advocating for funding for COVID-19 relief, addressing retaliatory tariffs, climate smart farming, public private partnerships for opening new markets and strengthening existing markets and addressing technical sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. Elaine works at the local and federal levels on addressing port congestions and supply chain disruptions and excessive costs.

Elaine served as a Deputy Secretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Governor Gray Davis. She was responsible for the oversight of the international export and trade programs, specialty crop block grant funding, division of marketing services, plant health and pest prevention and the statewide county fair network. Elaine serves on USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC). Born and raised in the Central Valley of California, Elaine has a long history of community service and has a great respect for agriculture and the value of the industry to California’s economy. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California Berkeley and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

California Ag Today2021-09-14T17:05:19-07:00September 14th, 2021|

Pushing Back on UFW Access to Farms

Western Growers Files Amicus Brief in Union Access Case

By Jason Resnick, Sr. VP, and General Counsel, Western Growers Association

Western Growers, California Fresh Fruit Association, Grower Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and Ventura County Agricultural Association have filed an amicus curiae – friend of the court – brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the so-called Access Regulation promulgated by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) in 1975.

California’s Access Regulation requires agricultural employers to allow labor union organizers such as the United Farmworkers Union onto their private property for up to three hours per day, 120 days per year, for the purpose of organizing agricultural employees. A divided panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the regulation, but eight judges dissented noting the “decision not only contradicts Supreme Court precedent but also causes a circuit split” (i.e., conflicting decisions between different federal circuits that can only be reconciled by the Supreme Court.)

The amicus brief was filed in the case of Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company, Inc. v. Hassid, in which the question presented to the Supreme Court is “whether the uncompensated appropriation of an easement that is limited in time effects a per se physical taking under the Fifth Amendment.”

The amicus brief argues that California has repeatedly recognized the sanctity of the right of private property owners to exclude third parties under the Fifth Amendment, but not when it comes to the Access Regulation. The brief goes on to say:

“California has upended that proposition for the sake of one privileged group: organized labor. Specifically, in this case, agricultural labor unions. In all other cases, California recognizes the right of private property owners to establish rules by which third parties may be allowed to access private property, if at all. Otherwise, trespassers are subject to criminal prosecution… But not in the case of organized labor. In that case alone, California has enacted statutes and regulations that coerce acceptance of physical invasion. Regulations of the State’s ALRB have exacerbated the problem for farmers by authorizing repeated trespass by union organizers for 120 days each year.”

The amicus brief was drafted by Michael Berger with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, one of California’s preeminent appellate land use lawyers. The petitioners, Cedar Point Nursery and WG member Fowler Packing Company, Inc., are represented by Howard Sagaser and Ian Wieland with WG Ag Legal Network member Sagaser, Watkins & Weiland, and Joshua Thompson, Damien Schiff and Wencong Fa of Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF). PLF is a nonprofit legal organization that defends Americans’ liberties when threatened by government abuse. Western Growers lauds the petitioners and their counsel for taking this important fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

California Ag Today2021-01-28T18:31:40-08:00January 28th, 2021|