California agriculture is facing a defining moment as farmers confront labor shortages, immigration uncertainty, water challenges, rising costs and an increasingly complex regulatory environment. In a wide-ranging Labor Day interview, “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni sat down with Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League, to discuss what these challenges mean for California farmers, farm workers and the future of the state’s agricultural communities.
The conversation covered everything from immigration reform and the H-2A agricultural labor program to water, food security, farm bankruptcies and the struggle to bring younger generations back to the family farm.
California’s Farm Labor Problem
One of the central issues was the shortage of workers willing to perform agricultural jobs. Papagni and Cunha discussed the industry’s reliance on foreign labor and the difficulty of finding enough domestic workers to fill farm positions.
Cunha argued that agriculture will continue to need foreign workers and called for immigration reform that provides a legal pathway for people who are already working in the United States while creating industry-specific visa programs for future workers.
He emphasized that legal work authorization is not the same as automatic citizenship. His vision would provide qualified workers with documentation allowing them to work and travel legally while giving the government a better understanding of who is in the country.
Cunha also advocated eventually expanding E-Verify and creating visa programs tailored to the workforce needs of individual industries.
The Human Cost of Illegal Immigration
The discussion also examined the “coyote” smuggling system. Cunha said migrants can pay roughly $15,000 to $20,000 to smugglers and that some people have lost their lives when they could not pay what was demanded.
His argument was that legal immigration programs developed with worker-sending countries could provide a safer and less expensive alternative while reducing the market for human smugglers.
Water and Regulation Threaten Farm Viability
Immigration, however, is only one piece of the agricultural puzzle.
Cunha described what he believes is an overwhelming regulatory burden facing California farmers, involving dozens of agencies and hundreds of requirements. Water regulations, including groundwater management under SGMA, were a particular concern.
He argued that California needs to address groundwater depletion while also investing in infrastructure capable of capturing and recharging water supplies.
The regulatory debate is complicated by the fact that California also has legitimate food-safety, water-quality and worker-protection requirements. The state itself announced in 2026 that it is working to streamline agricultural food-safety and water-quality reporting and make regulations easier for farmers and ranchers to navigate.
The Cost of Keeping a Farm Open
Cunha said the consequences are already being felt, particularly among smaller growers. He described farm bankruptcies and the loss of farmers and farmland as warning signs for the state’s agricultural future.
He cited figures during the interview indicating that California lost approximately 14,000 farmers between 1992 and 2022 and that total farmland declined from roughly 29 million acres to about 22 million acres. He warned that another significant decline could appear in the next agricultural census.
For farmers, the problem is compounded because they generally cannot simply raise commodity prices whenever their costs increase. Labor, water, fertilizer, transportation, equipment and regulatory expenses all have to be absorbed while buyers largely determine what growers receive.
California’s agricultural labor system is also subject to extensive worker-protection requirements. The state, for example, requires agricultural employers to provide appropriate drinking water, toilet and handwashing facilities, while the H-2A program requires employers to meet federal and state labor standards.
Will the Next Generation Stay on the Farm?
Perhaps the most important question raised during the interview is whether younger Californians will want to inherit the family farm.
Cunha described farmers who have spent generations building their operations but now face such high costs and regulatory complexity that their children may decide to pursue careers elsewhere.
Once a farm disappears, the loss affects more than one family. Rural communities depend on agriculture for employment, businesses, equipment suppliers, transportation, processing and countless other economic activities.
The future of California farming therefore depends not only on today’s farmers, but on whether the next generation sees agriculture as a viable future.
Food Security Is National Security
Throughout the interview, Papagni and Cunha returned to the importance of domestic food production.
Consumers often see only the finished product on grocery-store shelves. Behind that product are farmers, farm workers, water systems, machinery, transportation networks and years of agricultural knowledge.
Cunha warned that if California loses too much productive farmland, replacing that production with imports could make the United States more dependent on other countries for food.
His message was simple: food security is national security.
What Can Farmers Do?
Cunha encouraged farmers to become members of agricultural organizations so they can receive accurate information, understand their rights and obtain assistance when dealing with government agencies.
He also stressed that farm workers have rights and encouraged growers and workers to learn those rights and seek qualified assistance when necessary.
After nearly four decades of agricultural advocacy, Cunha said his organization continues working to represent growers while also protecting farm workers.
Can California Agriculture Come Back Stronger?
The interview ended on a challenging but hopeful note.
Cunha said rebuilding California’s agricultural competitiveness would take years rather than months. He argued that policymakers must consider the cumulative impact of regulations, water policy, labor costs and other requirements on the farms responsible for feeding the state and the nation.
For Papagni and Cunha, the fundamental issue is bigger than politics. It is whether California can maintain a productive agricultural industry while protecting workers, natural resources and consumers.
As Labor Day reminds Americans to recognize the people who work to keep the country moving, California’s farmers offer a particularly powerful example.
Every day is Labor Day on the farm.
Listen to the Full Interview
What does California’s future look like for farmers, farm workers and rural communities? How can immigration reform address agriculture’s labor needs? What can be done about water, regulations and farm succession?
Listen to the full conversation between “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni and Nisei Farmers League President Manuel Cunha for the complete discussion, firsthand perspective and the ideas they believe could determine the future of California agriculture.