YAKIMA, Wash. -- Farm and fruit-packing workers are considered essential. And in Washington state, they're roiled in struggles for better working conditions.

Yakima County is the biggest hotspot for coronavirus cases on the West Coast, and the fruit-packing warehouses in the area have been a vector for the disease. Last week, workers at seven companies went on strike against unsafe conditions.

Marciano Sanchez, organizer with the Washington state farmworkers' union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, has been at protests alongside workers.

"They end up being really afraid because they're out there working without protections knowing that if they end up getting the coronavirus, it's pretty dangerous," Sanchez said. "And on top of that, they have to go back home where they have families and they don't want those families to get infected either."

Earlier this month, Familias Unidas, United Farmworkers of America and Community to Community Development sued state agencies to get transportation and workplace safety rules in place for farmworkers. Last week, a Skagit County judge decided to wait to order the state to implement rules because the state's attorney said they are coming soon. But the judge says he's continuing to monitor the situation.

Andrea Schmidt is an attorney with Columbia Legal Services representing the plaintiffs and said they're making progress.

"We feel like the lawsuit has been successful in that when we started pushing for these protections, the state had no plans to put out rules to protect farmworkers in this situation," Schmidt said.

But Schmidt said workers still are struggling for safe conditions, especially in Yakima Valley. She said workers are being called greedy for asking for hazard pay, even though other industries already are doing this.

"It's astounding that workers who are putting their lives on the line to produce our food would be vilified for asking for a way to have a little more in the bank for a time when they get sick," she said.

The companies involved say they have been working to implement safety standards as new guidelines emerge. The general manager at one facility, Monson Fruit Company, said they purchased 500 gallons of sanitizer and hired a sanitation team to clean the warehouse.


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The growing season is winding down in New Mexico and experts want to make sure the people preserving green chile for the colder months are doing it right.

Amber Benson, Bernalillo County extension agent, said four food preservation techniques will be highlighted during online training workshops next month for the native New Mexico chile. They include drying, freezing, freeze-drying and pressure-cooking. She noted the presentations are free and participants may attend one or all.

"There's an increasing interest in home food preservation, with the cost of food, and during COVID we learned that our food supply chain obviously had some weak points," Benson recounted. "It's just a really great way for people to empower themselves over their own food."

She explained freeze-drying dehydrates food by freezing it and is different from older methods of food preservation. New Mexico State University will hold online training workshops on four Tuesday mornings in October. Capacity is limited to 50 people per session and advance registration is required.

Benson noted green chile can refer both to a plant and a prepared dish, which can vary in consistency from a thick, pork-laden stew to salsa. The series of classes on green chile preservation is the first of its kind, with extension agents in five different counties participating.

"Particularly in New Mexico, we're buying roasted green chile most of the time," Benson observed. "People need to know, 'Oh, do we take the tops off? Do we keep the seeds in? Will it get hotter over time?' People have tons of questions about freezing and drying, so we'll definitely cover both of those."

She added several extension offices across the state have freeze dryers available for the public to use. Last year, New Mexico lawmakers and the governor attracted loads of national attention for approving legislation that declared the smell of roasting green chile the state's aroma, the first state in the nation to adopt an official aroma.


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering new rules, seeking to level the playing field for independent farmers in Iowa and across the country.

Food price gouging has become a campaign issue in the Midwest, where the election could be won or lost.

Berleen Wobeter and her husband Pete raise cattle on about 300 in central Iowa. She said family farmers want Congress to strengthen the century-old Packers and Stockyards Act, address alleged food price gouging and fix the lack of competition in the beef industry, where four companies control 85% of the market.

"That's not going to happen the more consolidated it is," Wobeter pointed out. "Then if there isn't a market for all of our beef, then I guess some of us need to get out. But it needs to be fair."

The Biden administration has proposed a new rule designed to update the Packers and Stockyards Act, which was signed in 1921. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking public commentthrough Sept. 11.

Congress is considering restoring mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef in the next Farm Bill, which would allow domestic producers to charge higher prices for beef grown in the U.S.

Wobeter said despite being in a highly consolidated industry among large corporate ag producers, she and Pete have continued to succeed on their 300 acres near Toledo.

"I think that has been my husband's approach to things," Wobeter explained. "In the '80s, when it was 'go big or get out' he said no, that's not the way he was raised. You just kind of stay steady, stay within your budget, don't overspend, and it's worked for us."

The 2023 Farm Bill, which has already been extended until the end of this month, remains on hold in Washington.


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Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for landowners who want to help restore natural habitat on their property, and get help doing it.

It's part of a larger effort to help farmers become more environmentally friendly.

PFI's Habitat Incentive program offers farmers a financial incentive to plant prairie strips on their land, for example.

PFI's Senior Habitat Viability Coordinator Grace Yi said those strips restore habitat for native species while at the same time reducing soil erosion.

"All of these practices are going to have multiple benefits," said Yi. "So they are going to be good for soil health, good for water-quality improvement, and also provide habitat for wildlife. "

In addition to the prairie strip portion of the Habitat Incentive Program, PFI is also making incentives available to do precision conservation analysis on their land - which helps farmers make use of unproductive acres.

Yi said the end goal of the program is different for most of the farmers who apply.

For some it might be reducing soil erosion and runoff into nearby waterways. For others it night be finding a productive way to use other acres.

"For some farmers it might be that corner of the farm is low yielding," said Yi, "it's difficult to farm with because it's steep in slope or it has weird turnarounds, so they can't easily round out the field. "

In order to be eligible for the program, at least 50% of the area the farmer plans to change has to be unprofitable. The incentive, funded by federal and state sources, is capped at $10,000.