GreenSheet | August 3, 2020

On August 5, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will consider the prohibition of glyphosate-based products at their board hearing.  Members of the agricultural industry are encouraged to submit a comment concerning this potential prohibition

The California State Board of Food and Agricultural is hosting a webinar on August 4  concerning actions taken by farmers and ranchers to protect farmworkers during COVID-19 and food assistance programs in the state.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been working on a new protocol for developing and registering treatments for water used on crops prior to harvest. On July 30, the FDA announced a new protocol to reduce foodborne bacteria in agriculture water for pre-harvest.

California Governor Newsom announced a new housing program to assist California workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing temporary hotel housing for agricultural and farmworkers who test positive, or were exposed to, COVID-19. Learn more.

As part of the University of California Ag Expert webinar series, Dr. Mark Hoddle will host a “What’s in Your Orchard: Protecting California from Invasive Species” webinar on September 9. Learn more. 

On August 12, the University of California Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the California Avocado Commission and the California Avocado Society, will present a free Avocado Weed Management and Biostimulants in Agriculture webinar. Learn more.

Throughout the month of June, twenty Southern California units of Norm’s Restaurants celebrated California Avocado Month with impactful digital promotions that increased awareness of the fruit’s availability.

The California Avocado Commission’s (CAC) social media platforms have long provided the Commission with a means of engaging with consumers. This season, as consumers faced the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and cultural unrest, the Commission pivoted its social media communications to provide consumers with additional content that addressed their concerns.

In past seasons, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) has sometimes sponsored Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day retail sales and displays contests to promote the fruit during the holidays. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and produce departments working overtime to keep up with high consumer demand, changing labor situations and fluctuating supply levels, the Commission decided to recognize these essential workers for their efforts rather than burden them with producing creative contest displays.