A bill to exempt sheepherders and goat herders from California’s ag overtime law has stalled. Senate Ag Chair Melissa Hurtado pulled SB 801 before a committee vote ahead of a key deadline, killing it for the year.
The Kern County Farm Bureau warned the law treats herders as if they work nonstop, since they remain on site, and that it would boost each worker’s pay by $800 a month on average. They fear the labor costs would shutter prescribed grazing projects that help to mitigate wildfires. The law, passed under AB 1066 in 2016, would more than double the minimum wage, in combination with other labor laws and regulations.
But: Committee staff criticized the blanket exemption as “a troubling precedent” and argued in their analysis of the bill that employers should appropriately compensate their workers.
The California Federation of Labor Unions, led by the former lawmaker who authored AB 1066, vehemently opposed SB 801. The labor group claimed emergency responders and other workers handle 24/7 shifts for full pay and that herders are also essential workers with a right to fair pay.
Remember: In 2023 the Legislature extended an exemption for herders to July 2026. The legislation also tasked the labor commissioner with studying the issue and reporting on it by that date.
Take note: The same labor committee had stalled SB 628. The bill, widely backed by farm groups, sought to provide tax credits for employers providing ag overtime pay.
California approves State Farm rate increase
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara agreed to allow State Farm an emergency rate increase on Tuesday. The state’s largest insurer can now raise rates up to 22% for homeowners, 15% for renters and 38% for rental dwelling units.
In exchange State Farm must receive a $400 million cash infusion from its parent company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. The insurer is also banned from issuing large-scale nonrenewals through the end of the year.
The rate changes can take effect starting June 1.
USDA predicts higher almond yield
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service predicts California almond production will increase 3% in 2025.
The subjective forecast puts production at 2.8 billion pounds and almond-bearing acres at 1,390,000, a 10,000-acre increase from 2024.
Almond Board President and CEO Clarice Turner said the larger crop was expected by industry “after a solid water winter and generally good weather during bloom.”
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
NASS will release its second production estimate on July 10 based on actual almond counts across the state.
San Luis Obispo County gets rangeland conservation easement
The Department of Conservation awarded the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County a conservation easement for 890 acres of local oak woodland and rangeland.
Through the department’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, the SLO Land Conservancy received $2.67 million to protect a portion of the Adelaida Springs Ranch, a joint vineyard, cattle and sheep operation.
California requests preliminary injunction over tariffs
Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a preliminary injunction request Tuesday to halt President Donald Trump’s use of emergency tariffs as California pursues litigation.
Bonta’s office projected the tariffs will pose a $25 billion cost to consumers and cut more than $64,000 jobs in California alone. He says California will experience “an outsized share of losses” as a result of its large economy and workforce.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bonta are also filing an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade to support an April tariff complaint led by the state of Oregon.
Grocery costs fall in April on broad price declines
The cost of eating at home fell 0.4% in April, seasonally adjusted, on broad price declines throughout the grocery store and an especially sharp drop in egg prices.
The retail price of eggs dropped 12.7% last month due in part to the downturn in the avian flu outbreak, but prices are still up 49.3% from April 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index for April, released Tuesday.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Morris named USDA AMS administrator
Erin Morris has been appointed to lead the Agricultural Marketing Service after Bruce Summers retires this month.
She will be responsible for agency functions including grading, auditing, and laboratory testing that help producers demonstrate the value and integrity of their commodities, operating the USDA Market News Service, and administering the Packers and Stockyards Act and the National Organic Program.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
USDA union leaders urge congressional appropriators to halt staffing cuts
Twenty union leaders representing Agriculture Department employees are urging congressional appropriators to step in to prevent further Trump administration staffing cutbacks.
Recent cuts at the agency are “severely undermining the ‘People’s Department’s’ infrastructure, mission and ability to serve the American people," the union leaders say in a letter, which urges House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee leaders to “take swift action to restore their Constitutional authority over USDA spending and prevent what is rapidly becoming a national crisis.”
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Look to partners to help fill gaps left by NRCS cuts, lawmakers told
A panel of conservation leaders told senators Tuesday that as the Natural Resources Conservation Service sees cutbacks in staffing under the Trump administration, partnerships with outside organizations will be key to ensuring farmers have access to technical assistance.
At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on conservation programs, panelists said conservation districts and other organizations can help fill gaps left by staffing reductions and ensure landowners get the help and advice they need when enrolling in conservation programs, a process that some called complicated.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Republicans launch reconciliation push
Key House committees continue work today on their pieces of that “big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill Republicans are trying to push through Congress.
House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., expressed confidence Tuesday evening that he can get his portion of the legislation through committee despite its cuts to SNAP funding that are challenging for some members in swing districts.
“When you're on the side of the angels with legislation, it makes for some really good campaigning back home,” Thompson told reporters shortly before the committee started debate on the Ag bill.
But, but, but: The committee’s top Democrat, Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, ripped the Ag proposals at the outset of the panel’s markup, although there’s nothing Democrats can do to stop the legislation if Republicans hang together. She said states can’t afford to share the cost of SNAP, one requirement of the Ag bill.
He’s back: RFK Jr. to appear before Congress today
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will make back-to-back appearances on Capitol Hill today amid a variety of questions about his food and vaccine policy, and about agency staffing.
Kennedy will first appear before House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee and then the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Senators could press Kennedy on several issues he’s begun work on since his confirmation, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He’s also likely to face questions on staffing cuts. FDA was expected to lose at least 3,500 employees as part of a major restructuring.
The White House budget request designates $500 million to broadly support the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which Kennedy leads. The commission is expected to release its first report by the end of next week.
By the way: One HHS employee told Agri-Pulse that some laid off workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have received notices inviting them to come back to work. They had not heard about any agricultural, fishing or forestry staff being among those invited back, however.
Bayer projects optimism despite bumpy Q1
Bayer officials maintained an optimistic outlook on an earnings call Tuesday even as the company announced lower sales and earnings for the first quarter of 2025.
The company reported a 3.3 % sales dip in Crop Science for the first quarter. Seeds and traits were down 5%, due in part to a federal court’s decision to vacate the label of controversial herbicide dicamba. The company also blamed the registration expiration of its insecticide Movento in Europe.
Bayer is undergoing a reorganization that involves laying off at least 200 people in Crop Science and closing one of its production facilities, a move opposed by unions at the company.
CEO Bill Anderson said he has “had a very close partnership with the unions and with all our employees” since he came to the company two years ago. “There’s no agreement that I’ve made that I’ve not honored, and I will continue to keep all my agreements and all my commitments to the workers.”
As for tariffs, Chief Financial Officer Wolfgang Nickl said Bayer is mostly unaffected. “Seeds and traits are mostly produced in the regions where they’re also sold,” he said. “As of now, most of our crop protection active ingredients as well as glyphosate are exempt from the latest tariffs.”
New fund aims to support “virtual fencing” technology
The Property and Environment Research Center has launched a $400,000 fund to support landowners that outfit their herds with GPS-based collars that can replace fences.
Eight farms and ranches have so far been chosen to receive grants funding the technology — known as “virtual fencing.” The technology can be used for a range of conservation purposes, from preserving pollinator habitat to reducing conflicts between livestock and wolves.
How it works: When a cow approaches a virtual barrier set by the producer, the collar beeps to warn them they are approaching the boundary and gives them a shock if they pass it.
Check out Agri-Pulse’s previous coverage of the technology to learn more about its potential uses.
Senators revive effort to tighten dog import restrictions
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tina Smith, D-Minn., are reintroducing legislation to add new requirements for dog importers to prevent the spread of animal diseases.
The Healthy Dog Importation Act will require a vet to sign off on the dog’s health before its arrival, including ensuring the dog is vaccinated and parasite-free.
“We want to stop the spread of diseases that can hurt both animals and humans,” Grassley said in a statement. “Our commonsense proposal will boost an existing program to ensure all dogs entering the United States are healthy.”
The bill has the support of the National Animal Interest Alliance, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Final word
“Whenever Congress invests in American agriculture, it must include specialty crops.” — The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, applauding the House Ag Committee’s reconciliation draft, though it pushed for further spending on mechanization and automation and to expand crop insurance eligibility.
