California's legislature has passed a bill banning foreign entities from buying its agricultural land, a move that is part of reignited discussions about whether the United States should block parties from unfriendly countries from buying farmland. The California bill makes no mention of China, and Governor Gavin Newsom has until the end of the month to sign it into law.

Less than seven weeks from the November midterm election, State senator Brian Dahle may be better known as the highest bidder for a slaughtered goat than as Governor Gavin Newsom's opponent. A Republican candidate for governor must be either a celebrity, independently wealthy, or outlandish to have a shot - at least that's the conventional wisdom in California politics.

Proponents of mandatory labeling of foods containing or derived from genetically modified (GM) crops have long claimed that their primary objective is to facilitate informed consumer choice. Based on a review of more than 20 years of evidence in countries or regions ...

Modernized rules on the Endangered Species Act are officially reinstated after an appeals court decision.

Chad Smith has more on the good news for farmers and ranchers. Smith: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a district court improperly vacated 2019 revisions of the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced another installment (phase) in assistance to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021. More than 18,000 producers will soon receive new or updated pre-filled disaster applications to offset...

Asia is brimming with opportunities to win lifelong consumers of U.S. food and ag exports, said President Biden's nominee for USDA undersecretary for trade on Thursday. At a Senate nomination hearing, Alexis Taylor said her priorities would be opening foreign markets to U.S. goods and the diligent enforcement of the rules governing trade agreements.

PUBLISHED ON DENVER - U.S. farmers' and ranchers' increasing dependence on off-farm employment and income reveals the growing economic interconnection of rural communities and surrounding cities. According to a study by researchers at the University of Missouri, 82% of U.S. farm household income now comes from off-farm sources.

In this webinar, ERS Senior Economist Carrie Litkowski will provide an overview of the Farm Income and Wealth Statistics Data and data visualizations available on the ERS website. ERS Agricultural Economist Dipak Subedi will explain how to use the ARMS Data Dissemination Tool.

By Ching Lee, AgAlert

Frustrated with ongoing delays at West Coast ports, California agricultural exporters are increasingly turning to alternative routes and transportation modes to move their products as they try to navigate another busy shipping season.

New research out of UCLA raises concerns about thyroid cancer risks related to the use of certain pesticides in Kern and two other counties in the Central Valley. A peer-reviewed study published this month in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism linked the use of herbicides paraquat dichloride, glyphosate and oxyfluorfen to thyroid cancer diagnoses between 1999 and 2012 in Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties.

The California Supreme Court has denied a review of an appeal of a California Court of Appeal ruling from this summer that bumblebees are eligible for protection as threatened or endangered "fish" under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The decision could complicate ongoing efforts to manage farmland to protect wildlife and feed the nation and the world.

Modernized rules on the Endangered Species Act are officially reinstated after an appeals court decision. Chad Smith has more on the good news for farmers and ranchers. Smith: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a district court improperly vacated 2019 revisions of the Endangered Species Act.

California has extended a property tax exclusion for new solar energy systems to incentivize the construction of large-scale solar plants to meet the state's electrification goals. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1340 on Sunday, continuing a property tax exclusion for new solar systems until the end of 2026.

Driscoll's and Naturipe Farms are testing commercial production of berries in Ontario and Quebec. While there may be unexpected benefits for some growing regions, the shift reinforces the vast challenges ahead as the world adapts to climate change and extreme weather that is increasing in frequency and intensity.

The 2022 Citrus Acreage Report has been released by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Information presented in the report is comprised of survey data from California citrus growers. CDFA works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service in compiling the bi-annual report.

USDA is offering a new grant program focused on addressing labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration through expansion of legal pathways, and improving labor protections for farmworkers. The grant program will use up to $65 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide support for agricultural employers in implementing robust labor standards to promote a safe, healthy work environment for both U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO - As the nation marks National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 19-23, the U.S. Department of Labor is urging agricultural industry employers and workers to act immediately to reverse an alarming increase in needless deaths and injuries in transportation-related incidents.

FORESTHILL, Calif. (AP) - California temporarily banned insurance companies Thursday from dropping customers in areas affected by recent wildfires, a day after evacuation orders were lifted for residents near a two-week-old blaze that's become the largest in the state so far this year.

 ...On a recent Thursday morning, he had hundreds of sheep clearing out dry grass at Camp Roberts in San Luis Obispo County.

“The demand has skyrocketed,” Bakke said, wearing a belt buckle he won for mutton busting when he was young, looking up to his grandfather who was also a wool grower.

Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of Montana have developed a way to forecast which of the Great Basin's more than 60 million acres have the highest probability of a large rangeland fire.

ROCKLIN, Calif. - "What does the day-to-day operation of a ranch or dairy look like?" "What future changes could impact your livelihood?" "What environmental and conservation practices are you doing that are sustainable?" "How does social media impact what you do?" When a group of dairy farmers and cattle ranchers get together, there's always a lot to talk about.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the application deadline for Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Cooperative Agreements (GLCI) from Sept. 22 to Oct. 6, 2022. USDA is investing up to $12 million in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands.

PUBLISHED ON WASHINGTON - On Sept. 12, the White House announced an Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. It outlines a " whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security."

The Independent Grape Growers of the Paso Robles Area (IGGPRA) announced they're bringing back the Harvest Hoedown, a traditional celebration of the season's harvest for local grape growers and wineries alike. Paso Robles has approximately 40,000 acres of wine grapes. Many of these acres are owned by boutique wineries and vineyards, some as small as only 5 acres.

October is wine harvest month in Paso Robles, which brings individual harvest celebrations at the area wineries throughout the month. Harvest happens only once a year, so the events are as unique as the vintage with vineyard tours through the fall colors,

September 21, 2022 - The wine industry will generate more than $276 billion in economic activity for the American economy in 2022, according to a new study unveiled in Washington by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Co-chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus.

RENO, Nev. (AP) - In a midterm campaign season dominated by inflation, abortion and crime, there's another issue that is becoming more urgent in Western states: drought.

Our dashboard explores California drought and water issues, including reservoir levels, water shortages reported, and water restrictions.

The entire state of California is in drought and reservoirs here on the Central Coast are recording lower and lower levels. Keith Kuiken, a park ranger at Lopez Lake in Arroyo Grande, said the last time the lake got close to full was back in 2012 when it reached 80%.

Before Rick Lemos and the other directors of the Shasta River Water Association broke the law, they made a decision that under most circumstances might be considered unusual: they sent a letter to authorities spelling out exactly what they intended to do.

A court ruling last week over senior water rights came as welcome news to agricultural interests that have long battled the State Water Resources Control Board over drought curtailments. Yet while the decision sets a limit on the board's authority, the agency retains several regulatory tools for curtailing the diversions, and lawmakers could add more.

Coastal urban centers around the world are urgently looking for new, sustainable water sources as their local supplies become less reliable. In the U.S., the issue is especially pressing in California, which is coping with a record-setting, multidecadal drought. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently released a US$8 billion plan for coping with a shrinking water supply.