…Hetchy and still meet its water needs. But this requires more than incremental projects—it demands large-scale infrastructure built with urgency and political will. The Cost of Water Infrastructure: A Manageable…
Innovation, Water, and Politics Take Center Stage in California Ag
…for California governor. Zacky shared firsthand how regulations, rising labor costs, and fuel mandates drove his family’s poultry operation — once the largest on the West Coast — out of…
Reedley College Ag Conference 2025: Innovation, Careers & Farming’s Future
…Secretary Karen Ross, insights from Reedley College President Dr. Jerry Buckley, and panels with national retailers including Walmart, Costco, Taco Bell, and Cisco. Attendees will explore the latest in agriculture…
Fighting for California Agriculture and Values: David Tangipa on Water, Farmers, and Policy
…you want the state with the highest unemployment, the highest cost, the highest utility cost, an insurance collapse, devastating and fallowed farmland, to now set policy for the entire nation?”…
California Almond Harvest 2025: Prices and Yields
…$3 per pound by springtime. Malanca emphasized the importance of higher prices, noting that growers face steep input costs and will need the $3–$3.50 range to remain sustainable. Carryover Stocks…
Farming for the Future: Jake Barcellos and A-Bar Ag Enterprises
…limited domestic labor pool create ongoing struggles. Barcellos supports immigration reform that keeps good workers in the community while addressing criminal concerns. Imports and tariffs: Competing with lower-cost imports remains…
Don Cameron: California Ag Leadership & Challenges
…faces its own challenges, such as citrus greening disease, it enjoys advantages like low-cost labor that contrast sharply with California’s highly regulated environment. The Labor Challenge in California Labor remains…
Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture: America’s First Farm Organization
…group’s mission. Franklin’s support for scientific farming represented a critical shift: agriculture was no longer seen solely as labor but as a field of study and innovation. This perspective helped…
Tariffs, Trade, and Table Grapes: Richard Matoian Shares Insights on California Farming Challenges
…Turning to his own farm, Matoian discussed 90 acres of table grapes and 40 acres of pistachios, noting that table grapes remain especially labor-intensive. With about 65 workers in the…
Melissa Oberti on Grapes, Almonds, and Water Challenges
…grape production. Almond orchards face rodent infestations, with limited pesticide options. Rising costs for labor, utilities, and materials challenge profitability. “Farming is one of the hardest businesses,” Melissa notes. “You’re…
Immigration Reform and Ag Labor: Manuel Cunha on the Dignity Act
…critical for: Securing legal, reliable labor Protecting workers and families Strengthening the agricultural economy “Farming is tough work,” Cunha reminds us. “We need legal, safe labor solutions to keep our…
Joe Del Bosque: Water, Labor, and the Fight for California Farming
…But as droughts worsen and wildfires highlight water shortages, the consequences of neglecting agriculture are becoming harder to ignore. The Labor and Immigration Challenge Alongside water, immigration and labor remain…
California Agriculture: Fires, Wolves & Farm Labor Reform
…Farm Labor: Hard Work Few Will Do Papagni stressed that farm labor is not unskilled work, pointing to strawberry, lettuce, melon, and table grape harvesting as examples requiring years of…
California Agriculture at a Crossroads
…shifting policies, soaring costs, and technological pressures are pushing many farmers to the brink. California farmers, already burdened by water shortages, must also contend with labor shortages, rising fertilizer prices,…