Modesto group gets $2.4 million to help farmworkers spray safely in 10 states
Through a $2.4 million federal grant to a Modesto-based nonprofit, farmworkers in 10 states will learn about safe pesticide spraying.
AgSafe announced Thursday that it received the money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It aims to educate about 30,000 workers over five years, in English, Spanish and Indigenous languages.
AgSafe was founded in 1991 to help farm owners teach their hired crews about tractor use, chemical spraying and other tasks. It also spreads the word about extreme heat and sexual harassment on the job.
President and CEO Theresa Kiehn said by email that the curriculum is still being developed. It will first be taught to at least 10 “master trainers.” They in turn will show 1,370 other people how to provide lessons on the job sites.
The program will operate in California, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Hawaii. It also will be on Pacific islands that are U.S. territories. Each region will have an advisory group for input from farmers and workers.
The training will include farm labor contractors, which are used by many owners rather than hiring people directly. California requires licenses for contractors, who must follow rules on safety and wages.
AgSafe has seven staff members at its G Street headquarters and a branch office in Louisville, Kentucky. It has been funded mainly by fees from growers and other members. More than 100,000 people around the nation have been trained in safety, labor relations and other topics.
“Over the next five years,” Kiehn said in a news release, “the initiative will strengthen the capacity of growers and farm labor contractors to protect workers, reduce risk and cultivate a culture of safety that benefits agriculture and the families and communities that sustain it.”
Pesticide spraying has long drawn complaints, notably from the Modesto-based Valley Improvement Projects. Supporters say it is done only when needed to protect crops, with measures against air and water pollution.
AgSafe also is a co-sponsor of the Stanislaus County Farmworker Appreciation Awards. They began in 2021 to recognize people who kept producing food amid COVI9-19. They are now permanent, with $3,000 going to the top winner and lesser amounts to others.
The 2026 honorees will be recognized at an April 7 luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Modesto. The other sponsors are the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, the Modesto Rotary Club and the Central Valley Opportunity Center. Details are at modestorotary.org.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM.
