COMPUTER TOOL FOR MANAGING AG REGULATIONS TO DEBUT

Workshop for producers scheduled for September 8

SACRAMENTO – A computer tool to assist California farmers and ranchers in the managing of regulatory requirements is set to debut, with statewide workshops in a number of locations scheduled for September 8.

The tool, called AgComplyIT, was created through a partnership between the California Community College Small Business Development Centers, Farm Agriculture Collaborative Training Systems, or FACTS, and the USDA Risk Management Agency. A USDA grant is funding the effort, which will help steer farms and ranches through the network of labor, environmental and production regulations that apply to their operations.       

The workshops will be facilitated by county agricultural commissioners and representatives of small business development centers. AgComplyIT, an ExcelTM-based tool, will be introduced at each site, with facilitated discussions to follow. AgComplyIT will be distributed free of charge on CD to producers attending the workshops.

For more information on the workshops, or to obtain a CD or download its contents, producers are encouraged to call their local agricultural commissioners or link to the following web site: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/aep/aes/AgReg/index.htm

-30-