In January 2009, the California Grape & Tree Fruit League’s Board of Directors ranked the top issues in order of priority for the upcoming year. Here’s this year’s list, along with brief explanations.

[1] Immigration Reform/AgJOBS
This issue continues to rank at the top for League members who rely on labor intensive practices to be able to bring high quality fruit to market. It is clear that there is concern in the ag industry, with the judicial outcome pending on the Department of Homeland Security’s no-match rule as to whether the regulation can be enforced, as well as the need to implement AgJOBS legislation.

[2] Water Supply Issues
Media headlines are becoming more widespread about the plight of water availability which is the result of a statewide drought (both natural and regulatory), inadequate aboveground water storage and the state’s growing demand for water. Growers have voiced their concerns for years about this issue and now, action is vital in preserving what agricultural land remains in the state.

[3] Labor Cost/Minimum Wage
Labor continues to rank as the highest variable cost for League members and ranges from 50 percent to 70 percent of production costs. The second round of increases to the California minimum wage that took effect last year while the price paid for fruit has hit a plateau or declined.

[4] Labor Laws and Regulations/OSHA/ALRB
Year after year, organized labor pushes legislative efforts to sidestep the secret ballot process in unionization attempts. The Leaguecontinues to lead the fight to defeat card check legislative efforts, and protect the workplace and employees against narrow-sighted interest group attempts to strengthen political power. The League is also at the forefront in working with the regulatory community on adapting policies and procedures affecting heat injury and illness prevention.

[5] Food Safety Issues
Despite the “clean” food safety record among fresh grape and tree fruit commodities, League members continue to engage the issue to ensure that their commodities arrive in the hands of the consumer with no food safety concerns. The League remains set that any regulatory requirements should be enacted at the federal level and not the state level. Regulations should apply to both domestic and imported products and be risk-based as well as commodity specific.

[6] Invasive Pest Issues/ Quarantines
The potential impact that a quarantine pest would have on the San Joaquin Valley is unsettling because the ability to ship fruit outside of the region could be severely limited. The League continued to work on the frontlines of current infestations to ensure that state and federal authorities have the tools and resources to combat invasive species.

[7] Air Quality Regulations
Air quality regulations continue to affect all agricultural operations in the state, and particularly in the San Joaquin Valley where federally-mandated requirements place overly burdensome requirements on the region’s operators. The League works diligently at the regional, state and federal levels to ensure that sound science is used when such regulations are promulgated.

[8] Health Care Costs/ Mandates
The rising cost of health care coupled with political pressure for a government managed universal system may potentially become a subsidization burden for California’s business community in the already costly state.

[9] Water Quality Regulations
The regional water quality control board staff is in the process of moving the current Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program into a long-term planning phase and are seeks to add the responsibility of groundwater regulation into the surface water parameters of the program. The League will continue to work with the water board to ensure that our members’ interests are represented and scientific data derived from similar conditions is used when exploring a potential monitoring program.

[10] Energy Costs
Last year, the industry experienced an unprecedented series of spikes in energy costs as the energy markets grew unstable due to fluctuating demand and trading instability. Although energy costs have decreased in 2009, there remains concern that another rise in costs compounded with the economic slowdown could have a crippling effect on the movement of agricultural goods.

2008 TOP TEN ISSUES
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