Peri & Sons, a Nevada-based onion grower, has agreed to pay a record total of $2.3 million in back wages to 1,365 workers, along with a civil penalty of $500,000 for violations under the H-2A program.

Today, the House Agriculture Committee approved its version of the farm bill by a vote of 35 to 11. The bill would reduce spending by $35 billion over 10 years, mainly by cutting about $16.5 billion from the food stamps program.

Another closely watched vote was on the amendment offered by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC). The amendment would have prohibited mandatory promotion and research orders, or checkoff programs.

Progress continues on the Farm Bill, as the U.S. Senate successfully passed its version by a vote of 64-35.

The 2012 Farm Bill, known formally as the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act (S. 3240), cleared a major procedural hurdle on Thursday, June 7, with 90 of 100 Senators voting to take up the bill.