California Agriculture:

Water, Labor, and Immigration

This conference examines current issues in agriculture and farm labor.

California agriculture and the farm workforce are changing. Scarce water, expensive land, and changing consumer preferences have increased the importance of fruits and nuts, vegetables, and horticultural specialty or FVH crops in the state’s farm sales. There are fewer newcomers to the farm workforce, prompting farm employers to take steps to satisfy current workers, stretch them with mechanical aids and substitute machines for hand workers, and supplement with H-2A guest workers.

Registration is required by Monday, April 11 to attend any portion of the conference.  Attendance is free.  Please note that seating is limited. 

Click on the link at the bottom of this site to view/print the conference agenda. Papers presented, and a summary of the discussion for 2016, will be available after the conference at: https://gifford.ucdavis.edu.  The summary report for 2015 can be found at: https://gifford.ucdavis.edu/en/events/past/2015-04-17.

We are grateful for the support of the UCD Ag Issues and Gifford Centers, the Giannini, Rosenberg, and WKF foundations, and the ALRB.

AGENDA

8:15AM         Check-in and Continental Breakfast

8:45AM        Welcome, Philip Martin, UC Davis and Colin Carter, UC Davis

9:00AM        Water, Climate and California Agriculture

                          Chair: Dan Sumner, UC Davis

                          Louise Jackson, UC Davis

                          Paul Wenger, CA Farm Bureau Federation

                          Discussants: Dan Dooley, New Current Water, Dan Sumner, UC Davis

10:30AM       Break

10:45AM       Farm Labor in 2016

                          Chair: William Gould, ALRB

                          Farm production and employment changes, Philip Martin, UC Davis

                          Changing farm worker characteristics, Daniel Carroll, DOL

                          Discussants: Nathan Dorn, Food Origins, Muhammad Akhtar, EDD-LMID, 

                                               Don Villarejo, Davis

12:15PM        Lunch

1:15PM          Immigration Reform and Farm Workers

                          Chair: Kevin Johnson, UC-Davis

                          From IRCA to AgJOBS to H-2A, Philip Martin, UC Davis

                          DACA and DAPA Eligible Farm Workers, Ed Kissam, JBS

                          Discussants: Amagda Perez, UC Davis, Cynthia Rice, CLRA

2:45PM        Break

3:00PM        ALRB Issues in 2016  

                          Chair: Genevieve Shiroma, ALRB

                          ALRB activities: Past, Present, and Future, William Gould, ALRB

                          Remedies for Unauthorized Workers, Kate Griffith, Cornell

                          Discussants: Martha West, UC-Davis; Tom Sobel, ALRB

4:30PM        Adjourn 

CONTACT

Philip Martin, plmartin@ucdavis.edu

LODGING

When contacting a local hotel, please request a university rate.

Aggie Inn, an Ascend Hotel - 245 First Street - Davis, CA 95616 / Phone: (530) 756-0352

Best Western Plus Palm Court Hotel - 234 D Street - Davis, CA 95616 / Phone: (855) 238-1589

Best Western University Lodge - 123 B Street - Davis, CA, 95616 / Phone: (530) 756-7890

Hyatt Place Hotel - 173 Old Davis Road Extension - Davis, CA, 95616 / Phone: (530) 756-9500

Additional Lodging Options - http://visityolo.com/stay/stay-davis

Link:

https://gifford.ucdavis.edu/en/events