Todd Fitchette

1 week ago | farmprogress.com | Todd Fitchette

Imperial Valley, Calif., farmers are reeling from a decision to shutter the state’s last sugar beet processing facility. The mid-April decision to close the plant caught the industry off guard. Spreckels Sugar Company between Imperial and Brawley will cease production this summer, with warehousing and shipping activities expected to last through the end of the year.

2 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Todd Fitchette

If there was one good thing that we gained out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the evolution of internet video conferencing. We no longer need to travel to see others face-to-face. If text messaging has somewhat replaced the phone call, it’ll be interesting to see how video conferencing morphs into the way we communicate. This marks the second year in a row where I was asked to join a group of students from Iowa State University on Zoom to answer questions about what I do as an ag communicator.

2 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Todd Fitchette

Sugar beet processing in California’s Imperial Valley will end this summer as the state’s last standing processing facility ceases production. Activities at the facility owned by the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative will continue through the end of the year as product warehousing and shipping operations move remaining product.Todd FitchetteCalifornia’s last sugar beet processor will shutter its doors this summer, ending a long chapter of sugar production in the Golden State.

3 weeks ago | farmprogress.com | Todd Fitchette

It may take until the end of this year before California and Arizona farmers clearly see the impacts tariffs will have on agricultural goods shipped overseas as even the latest reports and predictions have become outdated. A March report from Rabobank on the impacts to fruit, nuts and vegetables grown in California and Arizona was arguably dated as of mid-April, according to David Magana, a senior analyst with Rabobank with experience in the North American fresh produce and tree nut industries.

1 month ago | farmprogress.com | Joshua Baethge |Todd Fitchette

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said easing restrictions for noncitizen farmworkers is a top priority, as labor shortages continue to strain farmers across the U.S. Changes to the H-2A visa program and new legal pathways could offer relief soon. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Trump administration is working to finalize more lenient guidelines for noncitizen farmworkers by harvest season. She said it’s an issue she’s had many long conversations with the president about over the years.