WAPA and Verisk’s CargoNet Business Align to Mitigate Cargo Theft in the Tree Nut Industry

Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK), a leading data analytics provider, announced today an alliance between its CargoNet® business and the Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) to raise awareness of nut cargo theft, increase communication between the nut industry and law enforcement, and help mitigate theft.  The collaboration began as a response to increasing tree nut cargo thefts in California. The new initiative aims to assist in the collection, aggregation, and analytics of cargo theft data to aid law enforcement in recoveries and better identify trends. The collective efforts will also assist the state legislature in understanding how cargo theft damages California commerce. By providing cargo theft statistics and trend information, both organizations hope that the state of California will recognize the need for additional resources, including a cargo theft crime task force. 

CargoNet hosts a national cargo theft database and manages an information-sharing system staffed by crime analysts and subject matter experts. By providing recovery support, deterrence measures, and coordinated, real-time communications between theft victims and law enforcement agents, CargoNet helps its members prevent cargo theft and improve their chances of recovering stolen goods. Since its launch in 2010, CargoNet has helped its members recover more than $50 million in goods and equipment and successfully aided law enforcement in dozens of arrests through its 24/7/365 command center and cargo crime database. The CargoNet AlertSearch allows users to search archived alerts to help them avoid identify theft, fictitious pickups, and other transportation-related scams.  “Our new strategic alliance with CargoNet will allow us to further our efforts to provide our members with the latest information possible on cargo theft of tree nuts,” said WAPA President and CEO Roger Isom. “Together, we will ensure our members have the latest information possible to help protect their investments.” Special member pricing will be available to WAPA members that wish to join CargoNet and benefit from its unique recovery, deterrence, and analytical services.  “We commend WAPA for responding proactively to protect its members from cargo theft by initiating better collaboration and information sharing,” said Anthony Canale, general manager, CargoNet. “We’re confident that this initiative will help the association and its members reduce the chances of becoming victims of cargo theft. As tree nut theft shows no signs of abating, CargoNet stands ready to support WAPA in its legislative efforts.” 

About Western Agricultural Processors Association
The Western Agricultural Processors Association represents tree nut huller/sheller and processors of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and pecans in California on regulatory and legislative issues that affect the tree nut industry, including, but not limited to, pesticides, safety, water, labor, and air quality issues. For more information, please visit www.agprocessors.org 

About Verisk Analytics 
Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading data analytics provider serving customers in insurance, natural resources, and financial services. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on unique data assets and deep domain expertise to provide first-to-market innovations that are integrated into customer workflows. Verisk offers predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, natural resources intelligence, economic forecasting, and many other fields. Around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Verisk Analytics operates in 23 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index. In 2015, Forbesmagazine named Verisk Analytics to its World’s Most Innovative Companies list and, in 2016, to its America’s Best Large Employers list. Verisk is one of only 15 companies in the United States to appear on both lists. For more information, please visit www.verisk.com.

 

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Governor Signs Ag Overtime Bill

Ignoring the pleas of real farmworkers and the agricultural industry, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed AB 1066, the ag overtime legislation. This means that California will have the most stringent trigger of any state in the country for overtime for farmworkers, with 45 states having no overtime protection at all. The Governor signed this bill, supposedly to bring “equality to all workers”, yet taxi cab drivers, commercial fishermen, car salesmen, student nurses, computer programmers, and carnival workers all work without any overtime provisions whatsoever. The Governor signed this ag overtime bill in the same year that minimum wage legislation was also passed that will take California to the highest minimum wage as well as legislation forcing California to adopt additional greenhouse gas regulations for businesses in California. California is the only state in the country subject to such regulations. Today’s signing occurred despite numerous requests by the agricultural industry to meet with the Governor to discuss our concerns. The message is clear. California simply doesn’t care. These provisions will be phased in over the next few years ending with the overtime provisions to be triggered at 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week.

In the Beginning As folks transitioned out of cotton and into tree nuts, the industry recognized the need to have active and effective representation at the local, state and national levels. Having enjoyed such effective representation over the years from the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, these folks yearned for the same representation in the tree nut processing industry. Issues such as air quality, food safety, labor, taxes, employee safety, and environmental concerns are at the forefront, and there is a significant need for an aggressive and dynamic Association to lead the industry into the next decade and beyond. In recognition of this, the Western Agricultural Processors Association was created in 2009. The Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) shares staff and office space with the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations taking advantage of a unique and opportunistic situation. WAPA is a voluntary dues organization with four shared staff and one dedicated staff person. Regulatory, legislative and legal issues fall under the purview of this new organization for the tree nut processing industry, which includes almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts. From air quality permits to conditional use permits, from regulatory hearings on greenhouse gases to federal legislation on food safety, and from OSHA violations to assisting members on hazardous materials business plans, no issue is too small or too large for WAPA. WAPA has assembled one of the best and most capable staffs in the industry, and the results are already starting to show Membership The Western Agricultural Processors Association represents facilities involved in the processing of almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.Membership in the Association is classified as Regular memberships are limited to almond hullers or processors, pecan and pistachio processors, and walnut dehydrators and processors. Associate memberships are limited to any individual or business entity which is not engaged in agricultural processing, but which provides products or services directly related to the agricultural processing industry. WAPA Associate members include, but are not limited to, commodity brokers, accounting firms, and insurance brokers. Organization The Western Agricultural Processors Association is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by its membership.The Board consists of up to 15 members from throughout the state, and throughout the industry.The Board meets on a quarterly basis and conducts an Annual Meeting in the spring of each year.WAPA, in conjunction with the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, conducts a special training school for its members focused on safety.In combination with the school, the Association holds a Labor Management Seminar for all of the managers. Consulting Services In researching and considering the concept of forming a new organization, the Boards of Directors for the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations instructed staff to perform some of the work on a consulting basis first. The point was to determine the workload from consulting and to determine if there was sufficient interest. In November of 2007, the Association began conducting services under consulting contracts for such services as air quality permits and safety plans.The effort has been so successful that demand has progressed outside the tree nut industry into other agricultural processing facilities, including vegetable dehydration facilities, tomato processing facilities, and wheat mills, as well as cotton gins in Arizona.It was determined by the new Board of Directors of WAPA, that WAPA would maintain the consulting services to provide offsetting income to help with the expenses of getting the new organization up and running.Today, WAPA provides for a long list of satisfied clients in the agricultural processing industry, by providing critical services such as air quality, safety, food safety, and environmental issues (Hazardous Materials Business Plan, Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plans, etc.).