4+ day, 6+ hour ago (412+ words) (The Center Square) - A new law introduced by a California congressman would raise the minimum legal age of child workers in agriculture from 12 to 17. The bill would update the original 1938 law regulating farmworkers and children in farm jobs. U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, introduced House Resolution 6066, or the CARE Act, on the floor of the U.S. House on Nov. 17. The bill would raise the minimum age of agricultural workers nationwide from 12 to 17 for most agricultural jobs and to 16 for jobs in mining, manufacturing and similar industries. According to The CARE Act, which stands for the Children's Act for Responsible Employment, children are allowed to work in agricultural jobs at much younger ages than virtually any other job in any other line of work. The primary aim of the bill is to raise wages for these children and institute new regulations regarding…...

11+ mon, 3+ week ago (468+ words) Cotton nears harvest in a Pitt County field near Falkland, N.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. North Carolina ranks fifth nationally in production. (The Center Square) " North Carolina's tobacco leaders hope Brooke Rollins will visit during planting and harvesting. Its pork producers say they need strong leadership to support agriculture at the local and national level. Rollins has the eyes of the agriculture industry " an annual $111.1 billion machine from Murphy to Manteo " upon pending U.S. Senate approval of her nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Texan " undergrad from Texas A&M, law degree over in Austin at the University of Texas " may not at first appear to be a fellow farmer. Don't be fooled. She is, in addition, a former domestic policy chief during Trump's first term and comes from steering the nonprofit America First Policy Institute. "The…...

11+ mon, 1+ week ago (327+ words) (The Center Square) " Agriculture, North Carolina's No. 1 industry forever, topped $111.1 billion in economic impact in 2024. North Carolina is No. 1 nationally in the production of sweet potatoes, tobacco, and poultry and eggs; No. 2 in Christmas trees, turkeys, and trout; No. 3 in hogs and cucumbers; No. 4 in peanuts and broilers (chickens); and No. 5 in cotton. It is top 10 in 20 different commodities, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said the state has experienced $18 billion in growth since coming out of the COVID-19 era in 2022 during what he described as "challenging times." Hurricane Helene threatened but did not crash the state's Christmas tree industry. Flooding in fields and damage to seedlings and nurseries came from the September catastrophe in the mountains. Among the bigger challenges, however, were simply getting road access. The state, at times, had more than…...

9+ mon, 3+ week ago (323+ words) (The Center Square) " With the swearing in Thursday of North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, the Council of State oaths are complete. Steve Troxler, left, pledges his oath for a sixth term as the commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C. His wife Sharon holds the Bible and state Supreme Court Justice Trey Allen administers the oath. (The Center Square) " With the swearing in Thursday of North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, the Council of State oaths are complete. Troxler is in his sixth term, second longest active to Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, and he'll be working with the fifth different governor of that time. The oath was administered by state Supreme Court Justice Trey Allen Paul Newby during the Southern Farm Show after being postponed by…...