Almond Alliance Selects New Chief Executive Officer

The Almond Alliance recently announced the appointment of Alexi Rodriguez as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 2025. Rodriguez brings over 15 years of experience in the almond industry, having served in various high positions including Chair for the Almond Board of California (ABC) and Director of Operations for Campos Brothers Farms.

“I’m excited and honored to be selected to lead the Almond Alliance,” said Alexi Rodriguez. “I’m looking forward to utilizing my knowledge and experience to advocate for this great industry and connect with industry members as we navigate the challenges ahead.”

For more information about Almond Alliance’s new CEO, visit Almond Alliance’s announcement.

California Legislature Enters its Final Week

The California Legislature is in its final week of session, meaning all bills must pass by Saturday if they are to make their way to the Governor’s desk. As of Monday, the Legislature had 700 bills remaining and it is expected they will work until the August 31st deadline. If a bill is passed and sent to the Governor, he has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill.

Blue Diamond is monitoring numerous bills moving through the legislature this week. Below are several that could have an impact on you and your operations.

AB 1963 – Paraquat Evaluation – This bill would require the Department of Pesticide Regulation to reevaluate the herbicide paraquat dichloride by January 1, 2029, and determine whether to retain, cancel or suspend its registration or place new restrictions on the herbicide. This could have impact on agriculture’s ability to utilize the herbicide.
Status: Moving through the legislature

AB 2113 – Pesticide Tax Increase – The governor’s budget included a proposal to increase the mill tax paid for by farmers on pesticides. While the mill tax was passed, agriculture was able to negotiate a deal that brought some long-sought after wins to agriculture, including an increased timeline from two years to four years for the increase, expedited timelines required for DPR to register new products and active ingredients, and that new staffing hires be for registration of new products. The increase will began immediately upon passage.
Status: Passed and signed by Governor

SB 399 – Employer Communications – This bill will restrict how businesses communicate with their employees. The aim is to limit discussions between employees and employers on “political matters,” though it could impact employers’ ability to discuss new law or regulations with their employees.
Status: Moving through the legislature

In our next At The Capitol, Blue Diamond will provide a more conclusive list of legislation that was signed by the Governor and chaptered as law.

Congress Focused on November Election

Only five months remain in the 118th Congress, and Congress appears poised to delay most significant legislative action until after November elections.

Because Congress is awaiting the election, this will have impact on priorities for Blue Diamond like the Farm Bill. Both the House and Senate have made moves to advance their respective bill, but it is widely speculated the final action on the bill will occur after the election, if at all, and certainly not before the September 30 expiration date. The House bill includes several priorities for Blue Diamond, including doubling of the Market Access Program (MAP) funding and increased support for specialty crop programs. Blue Diamond and the Almond Board have utilized MAP funding to market almonds abroad. The program is an important tool to help expand almond consumption worldwide.

Congress Focused on November Election

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will expand crop insurance options for specialty and organic growers starting with crop year 2025. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is introducing many changes including, new enterprise units for organic farming, extended eligibility for multiple crops, and additional policy updates. Key changes include expanded coverage for almonds, apples, citrus and other crops as well as adjustments for walnut quality and almond leaf coverage.

For almonds, this will expand the insurance coverage to younger trees by including trees in their fifth leaf year after being set out.

This is aimed to better support specialty crop producers and more announcements will come later this summer. To learn more visit USDA’s Risk Management Agency website.

Blue Diamond Hosts Problem Solvers Caucus

In partnership with the Agricultural Council of Cailfornia, Blue Diamond hosted the Problem Solvers Caucus this month in an effort to educate assemblymembers and their staff on California Agriculture. The Problem Solvers Caucus is a group of bi-partisan legislators focused on solving key issues facing the state.

The group, which included Assemblymembers Juan Alanis, David Alvarez, Josh Hoover, Tom Lackey, Carlos Villapudua, and Marie Waldron, spoke with Blue Diamond’s Public Affairs Team about the Cooperative and the almond industry and visited the Almond Innovation Center to learn about Blue Diamond’s expertise in bringing new products to market.