The following article appeared in the 2015 Winter edition of Grower Advocate

Credit goes to Napa County Farm Bureau board member Robert Jordan, as well as the Napa County Ag Commissioner’s Office, who together have just done something spectacular — they have changed the Farm Labor Contractor (FLC) licensing process to better suit the needs of Napa growers.

Previously there were painful discrepancies between the renewal systems of the state and the county, but Robert and the Napa Ag Commissioner’s Office have crafted a straight-forward and common-sense change.

Under the old system, growers had to register their FLC license with the county before they could reapply with the state annually. Renewals were based on date of birth, and the overlapping nature of the two registrations would frequently make them be rejected at the FLC state office. Then growers were required to obtain a temporary 30-day license with the state, and return to the county to register their temporary license only then to submit their application at the county level.

Napa County has now adopted a calendar year FLC registration process! This has eliminated the issues faced by growers who were previously wedged into an uncomfortable registration timeframe.

Our thanks go to NCFB board member Robert Jordan of Grand Crew Vineyard Management, and the Napa County Ag Commissioner’s Office, for working on this issue which will improve the process of registering Farm Labor Contractors in Napa County.