Whether working on a farm or in a garden, everyone should be mindful of sun exposure and take precautions. This is great advice to heed (and share), especially during May, which is Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, and it’s on the rise. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70, and more than two people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour. Additionally, the number of new invasive melanoma cases — the deadliest form of skin cancer — diagnosed annually increased 27 percent in the past decade.

But taking a few minutes to apply sunscreen, wearing long sleeves, and putting on a broad-brim hat can go a long way toward staying safe, said Russ Simpson, a cattle farmer, and Virginia Farm Bureau member.

“With the proper precautions, we can prevent a lot of skin cancer — especially among farmers, construction workers, and anybody out in the sun,” Simpson said.

For many farmers, skin cancer is a frightening reality.

Simpson was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007 after his primary care physician noticed a suspicious lesion. He was referred to a dermatologist for a biopsy, and the biopsy was caught early enough to be treated with minor surgery.

But he knows others who weren’t as fortunate.

“I lost my cousin about four years ago to melanoma,” said Simpson, who had noticed a suspicious lesion on his cousin and insisted he get it examined. “But by the time he went to the doctor, it was too late, and it had already gone into stage 4.”

Being familiar with the devastation skin cancer causes led Simpson to start a nonprofit, Iron Dog SCAR, that raises money to fund skin cancer research at the University of Virginia. When he’s not farming, Simpson spends his time educating others on the importance of sun safety.

“Farmers get exposed on their faces, hands and arms, especially the left side,” as they’re often working in tractors, Simpson noted. “The more sunburned you get throughout your life can greatly increase your probability of getting skin cancer.

“We need more attention given to this issue,” he added. “I think if people are reminded about it, they’ll get in the habit of taking precautions.”

The following are some sun safety tips:

• Try to stay in the shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when harmful UV rays are the strongest.
• Avoid sunburns.
• Wear long sleeves, long pants, broad-brim hats, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Regularly apply broad-spectrum, sweat- and water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher to all exposed skin—including ears, hands, neck, and lips — and reapply at least every 2 hours.
• Perform a self-examination every month. If you notice suspicious lesions and moles—especially ones that are asymmetrical or change shape and color — see a doctor immediately.
• See a board-certified dermatologist annually for a professional skin exam.

With sun, sand, surf, and mountains, the Golden State of California is known for its year-round attractions. But when it comes to agricultural prowess, California tops the nation in cash receipts — so it’s not surprise that it has a farm specialty license plate to match.

This West Coast state is known for its agricultural abundance, which includes over 400 commodities and provides over a third of the nation’s supply of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. In 2022, the market value of agricultural products sold in California totaled $59.0 billion, up $13.8 billion from 2017. 

While 62,900 farm operations cover over 23.8 million acres of farmland, farming operations are a meager 378 acres on average. 

The top commodities in California are dairy (which tops the list at $10.40 billion), grapes, cattle, almonds, and lettuce, followed by strawberries, pistachios, broilers, tomatoes, and carrots (which still bring in $1.11 billion). 

CalAg Plate supports agricultural education

The CalAg Plate, with its vibrant sun-drenched rows of crops emblazoned with “Food – Fiber – Fuel – Flora,” is one of the state’s top special-interest plates. 

The CalAg Plate’s Grant Program has awarded hundreds of thousands annually to organizations to enhance their agricultural education and leadership opportunities. Each year, about $250,000 is made available for projects that support agricultural education and training. In September, organizations submit applications for grants mounts ranging from $2,500 to $212,500. 

“Agricultural education represents a critical investment in the next generation of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural leaders,” said California’s Agricultural Secretary Karen Ross. “This program gives Californians the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of California agriculture and invest in its future by enriching the lives of our youngest citizens.”

The program is funded by proceeds generated by the state’s special interest, agricultural-themed license plate offered by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. To date, the program has awarded over $2 million to support agricultural education and leadership development in the state of California. 

In 2013, the first CalAg Plates were issued by the DMV after a three-year effort beginning in 2010. In California, for a Special Interest Plate to be established, over 7,500 paid reservations need to be received first. 

The California Department of Agriculture said, “The 2023 program was made possible by the continued efforts of many student volunteers and agricultural organizations.” 

One of the CalAg Plates beneficiaries, California FFA, often holds a CalAgPlate competition in an effort to sell the most plates. Winning chapters are announced during the State FFA Convention.

About 85 percent ($250,000) of the funds earned through CalAg Plates go directly to the California FFA, which benefits the more than 95,000 FFA members who serve as a leading voice for youth development in California. 

Other local, community, and state agricultural programs are awarded up to 15 percent ($37,500) of the available funding. The Tier 2 grant awards are open to entities in California that promote and administer agricultural education and leadership programs targeting K-12, post-secondary, and adult education. 

Grants are awarded in three different funding categories: Agricultural education, career awareness development and training, and agricultural leadership development. 

To purchase a CalAgPlate for a personal vehicle initially costs $50 and then an additional $40 a year to renew. The extra initial cost for personalized plates is $98, with a $70 annual renewal fee. These specialty plates can be put on autos, trailers, and commercial vehicles.

This is part of a state-by-state series from AGDAILY that highlights agriculture-themed license plates nationwide. Read more articles from the series here.

In one of the largest wage violation settlements ever reached for U.S. poultry workers, a federal court in Los Angeles has entered a consent judgment that orders Fu Qian Chen Lu, Bruce Shu Hua Lok, and others as owners and operators of a network of California poultry processors and distributors to pay $4.8 million in back wages and damages to 476 workers and $221,919 in penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

The settlement requires the employers to give up $1 million in profits earned from the sale of goods “tainted by oppressive child labor and pay assessed penalties of $171,919 for their child labor violations,” said the DOL.

The judgment follows the grant of a temporary restraining order that barred the shipment of hot goods into commerce and required the employer to disgorge all profits related to any such shipment.

According to the DOL, Lu and his associated companies supply poultry products to distributors who sell chicken products to, among others, Diamond Green Diesel, Diamond Pet Foods, Foster Farms, Mars Pet Care, Perfection Pet Foods and Superior Food, as well as several Nevada hotels and casinos including Caesar’s Palace, The Mirage Hotel and Casino and The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas; and the Casablanca Casino and Virgin River Hotel and Casino in Mesquite.

The April 30, 2024, action comes after investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division learned the poultry enterprise illegally employed children — as young as 14 years old — to use sharp knives to debone poultry, a violation of federal child labor regulations. Additionally, the division found the employers and their associates denied the poultry- and red meat cutters and packers overtime wages for hours over 40 in a workweek and falsified payroll records to obstruct the probe.

“When we find an employer has put a child’s well-being at risk in return for profit, the Department of Labor will use all available tools to seek to remove children from harm’s way and prevent future violations, including stopping the shipment or sale of goods located where children are being exploited,” explained Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “The court’s disgorgement remedy recognizes that no employer should profit off the shipment of contraband and the backs of children.”

After the investigation began in January 2024 by the Wage and Hour Division’s Los Angeles District Office, the supervisors at the employers’ facilities began retaliating against the workers, telling them they put the “noose around their own necks” for talking to the department and calling them derogatory slurs, as well as changing the terms of employment. The employers’ prior counsel also flatly refused to respond to any of the agency’s administrative subpoenas and attempted to obstruct the investigation, leading to a successful action to enforce subpoenas and obtain an order against the supervisors for retaliatory conduct.

Child labor and wage violations

“Federal labor laws protect children from being employed in dangerous jobs and protect workers’ right to be paid all of their legally earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “The employers, in this case, illegally employed children, some as young as 14 years old, to work with extremely sharp-edged knives to quickly debone poultry and denied hundreds of workers nearly $2 million in overtime wages. These violations are unacceptable, and the Wage and Hour Division will continue to use all its tools to stop the exploitation of vulnerable workers.”

Once investigators verified the child labor violations, the department’s Office of the Solicitor in Los Angeles obtained a temporary restraining order and an injunction under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s hot goods provision to prevent Lu and his businesses from shipping goods produced by an establishment that employs children illegally. In granting the temporary restraining order, the court found that the employers “employed oppressive child labor at the facility, which permanently render[ed] produced goods as contraband that [was] forbidden from entering commerce.”

The judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California directs Lu and his associated businesses to pay more than $1.8 million in back wages and $3 million in damages to the affected workers. The employers must also pay civil money penalties for their child labor violations and willful overtime violations, and disgorge profits earned from the sale of goods tainted by oppressive child labor.

These profits — totaling $1 million — will benefit the child workers. In addition, the court permanently forbids Lu, Lok and their associates from future FLSA violations. Lu and his co-defendants agreed to strong remedial measures to ensure future compliance.

In addition, the order requires Lu and his related businesses to provide training on the Fair Labor Standards Act to all managers and supervisors and to hire an independent third-party to monitor compliance with the FLSA and the terms of the consent judgment at their facilities.

While Mexico says that it’s waiting on U.S. proof that genetically modified corn is safe for Mexicans, China has approved the safety of a different gene-edited grain: wheat.

The move forward is the first for Beijing, according to Reuters.

“China has approved the safety of gene-edited wheat for the first time as Beijing cautiously moves forward with commercial growing of genetically modified food crops,” Reuters wrote Wednesday. 

China is currently the world’s largest wheat producer and consumer. In the past year, Reuters says that the country has begun moving toward approving even more genetically modified crops, such as corn and soybean seeds. 

In January, China’s agriculture ministry approved another six varieties of genetically engineered corn, two soybeans, one cotton, and two gene-edited varieties of soybeans, according to the ministry’s website. 

Although the move aims to improve food security, the uptake is slower than some had hoped for. 

Bloomberg’s Hallie Gu reported in January that “soybean shipments to China climbed 11 percent last year to 99.41 million tons, almost matching the all-time high in 2020, customs data showed this month. Any big jump in the local crop that finds its way into commercial crushing could significantly cut the country’s buying on the global market.”