• Issues relating to Plant Protection Act (7 USC 7721) authorization in the Farm Bill. Issues relating to National Agriculture Detector Dog Team Program in the Farm Bill and training capacity of current program. Issues relating to codifying state pesticide preemption in the Farm Bill. Issues relating to the extraordinary outbreak of multiple species of fruit flies in California. Support U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) providing $103.5 million to address known outbreaks of fruit flies in California and increase preventive activities in other susceptible areas in the U.S. APHIS will also use the funding to address the increasing numbers of fruit fly incursions in areas of Guatemala and Mexico, where APHIS and cooperators maintain a buffer against northward spread of the Mediterranean fruit fly. Issues relating to the collection and use of agricultural inspection user fees. Issues relating to shipments of agricultural commodities certified under Phytosanitary Certification Inspection Tracking (PCIT) system. Issues relating to ongoing negotiations re: the Fruit Fly Rearing, Emergence & Release Facility (ERF) at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, California. Issues relating to equitable federal-local cost share for the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services program. Support USDA re-establishing the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee. Support reauthorization of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act (P.L. 116-186). Issues relating to focus on developing industrial hemp markets in the west, specifically those that aid in the utilization of food, fiber and seed. Issues relating to federal coordination for regulatory development and implementation among the varying agencies with jurisdiction over industrial hemp. Support congressional review of all federal statutes and take needed actions to ensure legal, regulatory and enforcement compliance and continuity exists relating to cannabis. Support the use and adoption of equitable and uniform standards for cannabis and cannabis-containing products across federal and state jurisdictions adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures that identifies the method of sale and provides definitions of cannabis and cannabis-containing products. Support for USDA disaster assistance for agricultural damages and losses in 2023. Issues relating to H.R. 5057, Agricultural Emergency Relief Act. Issues relating to the National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their role(s) in developing measurement standards for emerging carbon markets. NIST standards are necessary for domestic and international markets to develop and function efficiently and for regulations to be implemented fairly. Issues relating to grasshopper outbreak in Northern California counties.
• Issues relating to California county contributions to pesticide use enforcement programs. Issues relating to federal-state partnerships and use of technologies to issue pesticide permits, report pesticide use, track enforcement activities, notify schools and register beehive locations. Issues relating to EPA Regions and consistency of Memorandums of Understanding between state and local partners for program implementation. Support continued oversight of the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule pertaining to definitions of Other Waters, Tributary, All Waters, Adjacent to and contradictions concerning agricultural practices. Issues relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and categorical exclusions that should be aggregated to allow federal agencies to glean potential efficiencies from other agencys historically used categorical exclusions. Issues relating to codifying state pesticide preemption in the Farm Bill. Issues relating to California state final regulations to mitigate the potential 72-hour acute risk and 70-year lifetime cancer risk from 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) to non-occupational bystanders. Issues relating to the publics right to know and access to information on submitted notifications of pesticide use.
• Support Nutria Eradication and Control Act (P.L. 116-186) authorized funding level of $12 million annually in the FY 2025 appropriation bill on Interior and Environment and Related Agencies. Issues relating to Plant Protection Act (7 USC 7721) and increasing the annual funding authorization in the Farm Bill. Support increasing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Specialty Crop Pest account in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies and adequate funding for individual biological programs focusing on Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection, Citrus Health, Glassy-winged Sharpshooter - the vector of Pierces disease in grapevines, Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death), Pale cyst nematode, Critical Invasive Pest Response, Plum pox virus, Golden nematode, European grapevine moth, Spotted Lantern Fly, Navel Orangeworm, Wood pests and Huanglongbing Multi Agency Coordination. Issues relating to the extraordinary outbreak of multiple species of fruit flies in California. Support U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) providing $103.5 million for supplementary emergency response activities to address known outbreaks of fruit flies in California and increase preventive activities in other susceptible areas in the U.S. APHIS will also use the funding to address the increasing numbers of fruit fly incursions in areas of Guatemala and Mexico, where APHIS and cooperators maintain a buffer against northward spread of the Mediterranean fruit fly. Issues relating to the collection and use of agricultural inspection user fees. Issues relating to adequate funding of the National Agriculture Detector Dog Team Program and training capacity of current program. Support for ongoing negotiations for facility improvements and adequate funding for the Fruit Fly Rearing, Emergence & Release Facility (ERF) at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, California in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. Coalition support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services programs in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. Support equitable federal-local cost share for the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services Damage management programs in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies. Issues relating to USDA allocation of Wildlife Services program funding based upon states proportionate wildlife damage ranking. Support USDA leadership and financial resources for successful completion of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Wildlife Services program. Support adequate funding of US Forest Service Hazardous Fuels reduction management programs that partner with states and local programs like Weed Management Areas that combat the spread of invasive and non-native species which negatively impact ecosystems and intensity of wildfires due to biodiversity alteration and changing fuel load properties in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Interior and Environment and Related Agencies. Support adequate funds for USDA Forest Health Management programs that provide for cooperative activities including California counties that secure and deploy biological control agents for invasive noxious weed control as part of an IPM program. Issues relating to USFS management of the budget cap adjustment for wildfire suppression costs that help enable USFS to accomplish on the ground activities that improve forest health and reduce intensity of wildfires. Support federal funding to develop markets and state programs for industrial hemp to support processing infrastructure, local education, outreach, regulation, and enforcement. Support continuing language in the FY 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill must continue to prohibit the U.S. Department of Justice from spending federal funds to enforce the Controlled Substances Act in states implementing legalized medical marijuana laws. With many unanswered scientific questions about how to measure and quantify carbon stored in soils, support collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the worlds leader in creating critical measurement solutions and promoting equitable standards in the marketplace, on developing measurement standards for carbon sequestered in soils in the FY 2025 appropriations bill on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.
• Issues relating to the collection and use of agricultural inspection user fees. Issues relating to agricultural canine inspections at U.S. international entry points. Issues relating to National Agriculture Detector Dog Team Program in the Farm Bill and training capacity of current program. Issues relating to Agriculture Specialists and Agriculture Technicians hiring, attrition, at U.S. ports of entry. Support S. 2107, the Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act (P.L. 116-122). The Act authorizes the hiring of 240 Agricultural Specialists each year until the workforce shortage is filled. It also authorizes the hiring of 200 Agricultural Technicians each year for administrative and support functions and the training and assignment of 20 new canine inspection teams a year. Issues relating to the extraordinary outbreak of multiple species of fruit flies in California. Support U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) providing $103.5 million to address known outbreaks of fruit flies in California and increase preventive activities in other susceptible areas in the U.S. APHIS will also use the funding to address the increasing numbers of fruit fly incursions in areas of Guatemala and Mexico, where APHIS and cooperators maintain a buffer against northward spread of the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Duration: October 1, 2008 to present

General Issues: Agriculture, Environmental/Superfund, Budget/Appropriations, Homeland Security, Trade (Domestic & Foreign), Consumer Issues/Safety/Protection, Animals, Clean Air & Water (Quality), Chemicals/Chemical Industry, Disaster Planning/Emergencies, Economics/Economic Development, Energy/Nuclear, Food Industry (Safety, Labeling, etc.), Fuel/Gas/Oil, Government Issues, Postal, Science/Technology, Trucking/Shipping

Spending: about $1,160,000 (But it's complicated. Here's why.)

It can be tricky to figure out how much an organization spent on a particular lobbying engagement. The law only requires lobbyists to report the amount they were paid for federal lobbying each quarter rounded to the nearest $10,000—and if it's less than $3,000 in a given quarter (or less than $13,000 for organizations with in-house lobbyists), they don't have to disclose it at all. Plus, some organizations include spending that doesn’t belong in the report—for instance, money spent lobbying state governments or other legal work.

Agencies lobbied since 2008: Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Forest Service, Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Farm Credit Administration, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Interior - Dept of (DOI), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Risk Management Agency, Congressional Budget Office (CBO),, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR),, Homeland Security - Dept of (DHS), White House Office, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)