News Briefs: English training, Golden Owl Award and organic committee vacancies

Farmworker English training

Farmers who want to help their employees improve their English-language skills may take advantage of a program offered by the National Immigration Forum.

English Advance brings agriculture-tailored English instruction directly to the farm, giving experienced, longtime employees the communication skills they need to move into higher-responsibility roles. 

The program is 10 to 15 weeks long, with classes taught by faculty from partner community colleges or adult schools in the farm’s local region. It has online learning modules to reinforce classroom learning and build digital skills. The specialized curriculum—developed in partnership with the California Farm Bureau-affiliated Farm Employers Labor Service—builds language skills relevant to farm operations, employee and product safety (pesticides, equipment and machinery, etc.), and sector best practices and regulations.

To date, 14 agricultural employers have offered English Advance training to their employees. Graduates report increased confidence and motivation, while employers have seen improvements in confidence, productivity, and retaining and advancing valuable talent, according to the National Immigration Forum.

California agricultural businesses, county Farm Bureaus and other organizations that support the agricultural workforce can cover the cost of training at any time. Businesses can leverage existing funding through the Employment Training Panel until March 30 to access the training program at no charge. 

Farmers interested in offering English Advance training to their employees or for more information, email Ana Negoescu at anegoescu@forumtogether.org. 

Golden Owl Award

The California FFA Foundation, in partnership with Nationwide and the California Farm Bureau, is accepting nominations for outstanding California agricultural teachers for the 2025-2026 Golden Owl Award.

Nominations are open through Jan. 16. A selection committee will choose six finalists, who will receive a $500 award and be recognized during the 2026 State FFA Leadership Conference. One finalist will then be named Agricultural Educator of the Year, earning an additional $3,000 to support future educational efforts.

Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded more than $600,000 to celebrate and strengthen agricultural education. Last year, more than 4,600 nominations were submitted across 13 states. 

This year, the award program will recognize leading agricultural teachers across 15 states: California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah.

To learn more, visit GoldenOwlAward.com.

Organic committee vacancies

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is looking to fill vacancies on the California Organic Products Advisory Committee.

The committee advises the CDFA secretary on matters pertaining to the California State Organic Program, which is responsible for enforcement of federal and state laws governing organic production, and for administration of the state program. There are more than 5,400 organic operations registered with CDFA.

The vacancies include two producer representatives, one processor representative, one technical representative, one consumer representative, six producer representative alternates, two processor representative alternates, one retail representative alternate, one environmental representative alternate, two technical representative alternates, one consumer representative alternate and one accredited certifier representative alternate.

The term is three years. Members do not receive compensation but are reimbursed for necessary traveling expenses.

Interested individuals should complete the Prospective Member Appointment Questionnaire at www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/organicprogram/pdfs/copac/COPAC-PMAQ.pdf and obtain a letter of recommendation from an industry member. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Applications should be sent to Kristi Garcia, CDFA Inspection and Compliance Branch, 1220 N St., Sacramento, CA 95814, or via email to Kristi.Garcia@cdfa.ca.gov.

For more information, contact Danny Lee at Danny.Lee@cdfa.ca.gov.

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