Colorado lawmakers just passed a bill that will make the state the fifth in the nation to require farms to pay overtime to their workers, and farm groups expect more state legislatures to follow suit.

Nebraska-based pork processor Wholestone Farms announced Monday that the company will be expanding into South Dakota with plans to build a $500 million pork harvest and processing facility.

Western Growers plans to work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture on a statewide initiative to equip “a future workforce with the skills and knowledge to navigate emerging on-farm technology,” the organization recently announced.

A trade association representing meatpackers is asking the highest court in the land to consider a new report in their fight to overturn California’s Proposition 12, arguing the law “provides no benefit to consumers and increases breeding sow mortality, according to the state’s own rule.”

An emphasis on wind and solar power, better protection for farmworkers, and more regulatory scrutiny of pesticides are among the highlights of a report advanced by the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council prepared to help guide federal investments in disadvantaged communities.

A new Colorado labor law, which includes specifics on overtime pay and the use of hand-weeding, has passed the Colorado Senate and will be heard by the House State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday, June 3.

Ag stakeholders in the Northeast say the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing meat processing capacity concerns in the region, leading many in the area to push for more facilities outside the traditional production hotbeds.