…in 1850: Heavy Labor, Limited Efficiency In 1850, corn farming was highly labor-intensive. Producing 100 bushels of corn required an estimated 75 to 90 labor hours and took 2½ to…
Rick Roberti Warns California’s Wolf Crisis Is Devastating the Cattle Industry
…their lowest level since 1951, and rebuilding a herd takes years — not months. While producers have improved meat quality and efficiency, challenges like labor costs, regulation, border issues, and…
Why California Growers and Agribusinesses Should Look East to the 2026 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
California growers and agribusiness leaders face no shortage of challenges — water management, labor availability, pest and disease pressure, rising input costs, and the constant need to stay competitive in…
Dayna Ghirardelli Says Sonoma County Agriculture Is Under Constant Attack — and Still Standing
…with Dayna Ghirardelli, Executive Director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. From animal-rights extremism to water insecurity, vineyard market shifts, and the rising cost of simply staying in business, Ghirardelli…
Heather Hadwick Sounds the Alarm on California’s Growing Wolf Crisis
…she worries California is becoming unaffordable and inhospitable for the next generation. One of her sons now attends college in Nebraska, where he sees more opportunity and a lower cost…
Kalem Barsarian Sounds the Alarm on the Future of California Raisins
…dry-on-the-vine systems. He predicts traditional Thompson Seedless vineyards could disappear entirely within the next decade, replaced by mechanized, high-efficiency systems that allow growers to survive rising labor and regulatory costs….
Potter Valley Water Fight Intensifies: Todd Lands Warns “This Could Happen Anywhere in California”
…laundry, residents losing gardens that help feed their households, and water shortages weakening local fire protection during peak wildfire season. He warned that the situation would also trigger enormous cost…
Anna Baldwin and the First Milking Machine
…time when dairy farming depended almost entirely on manual labor, Baldwin’s invention introduced the idea that technology could ease one of agriculture’s most labor-intensive tasks. Her milking machine was a…
Verdant Robotics’ Sharpshooter Is Redefining Precision Weed Control
…backgrounds at NASA, aerospace programs, and military aviation. Their goal was clear: bring high-level automation and precision into everyday farming operations—especially areas still dependent on manual labor and broadcast spraying….
California Pears vs. Argentina Imports: Chris Zanobini Sounds the Alarm on a Market Under Pressure
…of its impact on eating quality. The competitive imbalance comes down to cost. Zanobini said California growers face the highest production standards in the world—labor, chemical restrictions, water requirements, and…
California Pear Growers Sound the Alarm on Argentine Imports
…in storage for months. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1paEVSJAVPr44LV3nXMLDt1v4kBbm5RJV/view?usp=drive_web Rising Costs, Falling Opportunities California pear growers face some of the highest production standards in the world, from labor and water regulations to chemical use…
Drones, Sharpshooter Precision, and Almond Bloom Protection: Technology Takes Over AgNet News Hour
…to millimeter-accurate weed control to bloom-time disease protection in almonds. The message was clear: for California growers facing rising labor costs and tighter margins, innovation isn’t a luxury anymore—it’s survival….
Why California Agriculture Is Losing Ground Despite Feeding the World
…challenges: water shortages, regulatory burdens, labor costs, rising fuel prices, and freight expenses. Mason described the situation as “strangulation through regulation,” warning that California’s cost structure is accelerating the shift…
Damian Mason Says California Ag Is Outnumbered, Out Regulated, and Still Unmatched
…paid more for it, while cheaper commodities roll in from countries with lower labor costs and less regulation. Mason compared California to Peru and pointed out that global competitors now…