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Rural America
California: Water, Housing
California had average precipitation during the 2023-24 water year; southern California had more than normal precipitation. The state’s dams and
Meat and Migrants
OSHA assessed a Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Mississippi $200,000 in fines for the death of a 16-year-old Guatemalan who was pulled into a deboning
Labor: Jobs, H-1B, Housing
The US unemployment rate remained below four percent in 2024 as employment topped 168 million, up sharply from a low of 156 million during covid
Farm Workers
California: OT, Workers
California farm employers must pay farm workers 1.5x their usual wage after eight hours of work in a day or 40 hours in a week. AB 1066, a law
Florida, Southeast
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers created the Fair Food Program in 2011 to influence wages and working conditions for farm workers who work on farms
Northeast, Midwest, Northwest
New York. Grow New York Farms sued to block implementation of provisions in the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act that allows unions to
ALRB, Unions
The United Farm Workers (UFW) was certified to represent the employees of Olive Hill Nursery in Fallbrook in January 2024 under AB 113 card check
Immigration
Immigration, Politics
Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) negotiated a $118 billion, 370-page bill in February 2024 that
DHS: CBP, ICE, USCIS
The House voted 214-213 to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February 2024 for “breach of trust” and “willful and systemic refusal to
H-2A; H-2B
Growth in the H-2A program slowed in FY23 to about 380,000 jobs certified, the most ever but less than the 400,000 expected. The number of H-2A jobs
Canada, Mexico
Canada increased immigration after covid, aiming to admit an average 500,000 immigrants a year between 2023 and 2025. The population increased by 1.3
Europe, Asia
Africans continue to cross the Sahara Desert bound for Libya and Europe. Agadez in Niger is halfway between Lagos and the Libyan coast, and a place
Global: GDP
World GDP is $110 trillion in 2024, led by $27 trillion in the US, $18 trillion in China, $4.4 trillion each in Germany and Japan, $3.7 trillion in
Other
California Agriculture
Bankrupt Fresno-based Prima Wawona laid off 5,400 workers in winter 2024, including 3,750 seasonal workers, and prepared to sell 13,000 acres of farm
US Agriculture
Diary milk sales were $16 billion in 2023, while the value of plant-based milks, including almond, oat, coconut, rice, flax, hemp and soy, was $2.5
Food, Wine
US food prices rose 25 percent during covid, and have been slow to fall in 2023-24. Many people consider the prices of milk, eggs, and other staples
Climate Change
Average global temperatures in 2023 were 1.5C or 2.7F warmer than average temperatures between 1850 and 1900, with uncertainty due to determining the