With some of the state’s major agricultural commodities struggling and farmers and ranchers facing increasing economic and regulatory pressures, California farm leaders say the industry will continue to lose farms as more are squeezed out and few people enter the business. In a meeting last week of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, […]
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) awarded Westlands Water District (District), a $1,000,000 grant as part of DWR’s Flood Diversion Recharge (FDRE) Initiative. This grant will assist the State’s efforts to reduce flooding by increasing flood flow diversion volumes to recharge areas and expand local capacity to divert future flood waters. These efforts in […]
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation moved closer this month to finalizing a new regulation that would provide advance public notice of restricted-use pesticide applications on farms. During the past few weeks, the department held public meetings and accepted a final round of comments on the proposed rule it has been developing since 2021. DPR […]
Lisa Tate, a fifth-generation grower in Santa Paula, said she knew something was amiss in a block of young avocado trees planted on her family’s ranch. She had a hunch that too much water was sitting in the root zone after a second year of above-average rainfall. It was still spring, and her crew suggested […]
California farmers’ use of higher-risk pesticides, which protect crops against damage from pest populations and disease outbreaks, is on the decline, a new study shows. The state’s agricultural pesticide use dropped in both pounds applied and acres treated between 2021 and 2022, with the 5% overall decline reflecting a decade-long trend, according to the California […]
Today, the Legislature passed SB 867 (Allen) the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, that will be placed before voters on the November General Election ballot The bond would authorize $10 billion in general obligation bonds to finance projects for drought, flood, and water resilience; wildfire and […]
As farmers statewide prepare for anticipated cutbacks to groundwater under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, they are trying to stretch every drop of water to stay in business. Merced County farmer Benina Montes, owner of Burroughs Family Farms, planted cover crops between rows of almond, walnut and olive trees at her farm near […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed changes to how milk should be priced have been characterized as a mixed bag for dairy farmers, with some reforms impacting California producers more negatively than those in other states. Released earlier this month, USDA’s recommended decision came after the department considered 21 proposals that sought updates to pricing […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin accepting applications starting on Monday, July 1 through its updated Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to provide financial assistance to eligible dairy producers who incur milk losses due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as H5N1infection in their dairy herds. USDA’s […]
A sprawling heat dome put more than 30 million people across the Western U.S. under excessive heat advisories last week, triggering warnings from the National Weather Service about the danger of extreme heat to human health and potential impacts on “heat-sensitive industries.” Over the past two decades, heat illness awareness and prevention has become a […]