We’ve got lots of good news for California’s farmers this week. It’s only late February, but already the Sierra snowpack is at its April 1 average…meaning there will be plenty of irrigation surface water coming your way from the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. And the CVP has made its initial allocations of water availabilit ...…

California’s new governor outlined his plans for the future of California, and Gavin Newsom couldn’t have been clearer. Plus, the governor made a big change in the leadership of the Department of Water Resources, a change in personnel that pleased many Central Valley growers. We have the details. New outbreaks of the deadly chicken illness, Vir ...…

Donald Trump has kept his word to California’s farmers. He’s attempting to shift Delta water away from fish and send it to the farms and cities of the Central Valley. The details are in the just-released U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Biological Assessment for the Delta. And there’s already blowback. Farmers are filing for bankruptcy in record numb ...…

The Department of Water Resources conducted their monthly snow survey last week, and what they found is very good news for farm and city dwellers for 2019. More farm groups are telling Congress: we need workers. We need a fix to the immigrant farm labor issue. Nutrias are up, butterflies are down. The nutria is a large burrowing rodent that can ...…

California’s farmers demand it. Democrats in congress are voting on it. And the President says he wants it, too. What is it? A plan for immigrant farm labor. It’s called the Agricultural Worker Program Act, and its currently working its way through Congress. We have an update. Farm Service Agency offices are reopening…but during this federal wo ...…

President Trump recently promised farmers that he’ll open the southern border to make it easier to get much needed farm laborers into the United States. We have the details. California just released their yearly roundup of agricultural statistics. Which crops were the big winners? Which California counties are responsible for the most farm inco ...…

Don’t believe all the negativity about this year’s water supply for California farmers. The Department of Water Resources has encouraging news about this year’s Sierra snowpack, water that will eventually find its way to Central Valley Project and State Water Project customers. We have the numbers. THere’s an ever so slight opening in the door ...…

2019 begins with encouraging results of two agricultural studies. UC Davis researchers have been able to clone hybrid varieties of rice, which would be a major benefit to third world country farmers who can’t afford to buy fresh seed every year. And another study shows that a major pest of the honeybee population, the varroa mite, might be cont ...…

Away from Home meals are up. What does that mean for California Farmers’ income? We have the details. What are the Trump Administration’s strategies for increasing rural prosperity? We’ve got that info, too. Have you heard about the California Farm Demonstration Network? We’ll tell you all about it. When it comes to gophers versus drip irrigati ...…

We take a closer look at the recently passed 2018 Farm Bill, and what it means for California’s farmers. More recalls of produce from Central coast lettuce growers, a response to Novembers e-coli outbreak. There’s movement in the world of California water…deals and agreements that could be good news and bad news for California’s farmers. We hav ...…

The controversial Waters of the United States rules have been modified, much to the relief of California’s farmers. Congress passes the new farm bill, which includes Senator Mitch McConnells’ pet project: the legalization of hemp production in the United States. Does hemp production have a future in California? We have an in-depth report. Anoth ...…

Think you have less money in your pocket this year? The latest USDA Farm Income forecast says it’s not your imagination, and you are not alone. The NAFTA replacement plan, the USMCA, is a go, for more trade among the US, Canada and Mexico. But hurdles remain. With wildfire threats increasing the likelihood of mandatory utility shutdowns, are yo ...…

The Thanksgiving week recall of romaine lettuce due to possible contamination by the E.coli bacteria has roiled farming operations throughout the lettuce growing regions of the entire country. But it looks like the source of that contamination came from California’s Central Coast area. What can cause an E.coli contamination of field greens such ...…

A bit of rain has helped contain the Camp Fire in the Paradise area, as well as bringing relief from breathing hazardous air for much of Northern California. We focus on the relief programs that have been set up to aid those in agriculture effected by this fire, the deadliest in California history. The secretary of agriculture has some thoughts ...…

The Camp Fire in Butte County continues to burn. Now the largest, deadliest fire in California history, we update evacuation sites for livestock and household pets, and how you can help. Will Congress pass a farm bill before New Year’s? We have an update. We focus on the ag commodities that will be highlighting your dinner table this coming Thu ...…

Farmers suffered a couple of economic hits in last week’s voting on ballot propositions, regarding water and livestock. We take a look at the results of Propositions 3 and 12. California’s dairy farmers now have a federal milk marketing order. We’ll tell you what that means. Growers are getting more grief due to ongoing tariff and trade issues, ...…

Farmers, ranchers and every Californian is wondering…when is it going to rain? We take a look at the dry conditions here and throughout the West. A group of state legislators who represent Delta area farmers want the EPA to disallow a one point six billion dollar loan that could speed up construction of the controversial delta tunnels project. ...…

Christmas came early for Central Valley farmers, or did it? President Trump recently signed a memorandum that directs federal agencies to speed up their environmental review of major Western water projects as well as develop plans to suspend or revise regulations that hamper water deliveries to farmers but at the expense of providing water for ...…

October is a scary month in Northern California. The warm, dry windy weather puts our area in high fire danger, especially rural farms and ranches. And that threat is compounded with PG&E’s new policy of shutting down electrical power to many areas of rural Northern California for days at a time whenever it gets dry and windy. We have that repo ...…

More tariff troubles for California’s farmers, as China imposes new fees on popular commodities from here, including wine, fruit and tomato products. We have the details. It looks like smoke taint of wine grapes is becoming a problem. We have the story of one California wine company refusing to buy the grapes of a grower from a wildfire area. W ...…

Dairy farmers scored a big win last week: more of their products can be sold in Canada. We have an in-depth report on the progress of the successor to NAFTA, the U.S. Mexico Canada Trade agreement. It’s apple season here in Northern California, and in the Sierra foothills, it’s the key product in that area’s burgeoning agritourism business. Als ...…

Many California farmers are having a great harvest season, but where are the buyers? Trade woes and tariff disputes are making for a very uncertain autumn. We update the latest on the tariff battles, and take a look at the possible ramifications of a Farm Bill that may expire September 30 unless Congress takes quick action. We have a report on ...…

Record rain, heavy winds have pummeled the Carolinas. We take a look at the damage to farms in that area, and if there will be any impact on prices for the affected crops that are grown here in California. Here in the west, the drought situation is getting a bit worse, we'll tell you where. Yet another multi-million dollar settlement in a land- ...…

The nation is closely watching the destructive advance of Hurricane Florence in the southeastern United States. Among the casualties are that region’s farm crops that are still in the field, and that may play a part in fluctuating commodity prices for those crops grown here in California. Driving through the Sacramento Valley, you may have noti ...…

Thinks look a little different at the Farmer’s Markets in the Sacramento area this week: the fresh produce on display is hidden by tarps. What are they hiding from? The Oriental Fruit Fly. We’ll tell you how the CDFA and Sacramento County are attacking this voracious pest of over 200 fruit and vegetable varieties. The proposed 2018 Farm Bill is ...…

Some details of the Trump Administration’s tariff relief package for farmers have been released, and it’s great news if you grow soybeans, who will be getting over 3.6 billion dollars in compensation, more than half the targeted amount of 6 billion dollars in this round of payments. Problem is, you probably don’t grow that crop. Soybeans do not ...…

The water battles in California are heating up. Approximately one thousand protestors, made up of farmers and other irrigation interests, rallied at the State Capitol this past week, in opposition to the latest proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board to divert water from farms and cities, in order to aid the salmon population. We ha ...…

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited California this past week. And he got an earful from Central Valley farmers about the shortage of farm labor, immigration issues, and of course…the ongoing tariff disputes. Fueling those concerns: a new report out that shows California’s farmers could lose 3.3 billion dollars…per year, due to any retal ...…

As wildfires continue to rage in California, farm and range losses are mounting. We have an early look at some of the damage. The state is claiming victory, again, against the Medfly. This time, in Solano County. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act isn’t just about what’s below the soil, there are serious land use decisions that are goin ...…

California’s earlier starting, hotter burning wildfires as well as the extended triple digit heatwaves this year are playing havoc with farming operations. We have that report. What about us? That’s what California’s farmers, farm organizations and politicians are asking the Trump administration. Their concern? How California huge specialty cro ...…

Turns out, the WH press is just plum tuckered out! White House correspondent Debra J. Saunders joins Armstrong & Getty to talk about covering The Trump Administration. Plus, what's behind the ridiculous Tom Hanks/QAnon story?

The biggest ag export state effected by the ongoing tariff disputes is California. The Golden State exports 26 percent of its agricultural production by volume. In dollar terms, the state’s agricultural exports reached over $20 billion in 2016. But the California agricultural community is torn. On one hand, farmers are welcoming the financial r ...…

Welcome to yet another chapter of the ongoing California saga: Whisky’s for drinkin’, water’s for fightin’. There are water war battles going on throughout the state. Proposed reductions of farm deliveries of San Joaquin river flows has many powerful ag groups up in arms. The November ballot features a bond measure to repair the Friant Kern Can ...…

Good news for California’s almond growers. The 2018 crop now encompasses over one million acres, and this year’s harvest will be the biggest ever…over 1.1 million metric tons of almond nut meat. The not so good news…the cost of sending those nuts to China may be going up. Way up. In past years, China has purchased 12% of California's almonds. W ...…

California farmers are getting more nervous about pending losses in the tariff war between China and the United States. California farmers are hearing about some of their goods, rotting away at China’s port cities, due to what the Chinese are calling qualitative tariffs. We’ll explain. A local Republican Congressman introduced a bill to phase o ...…

California’s farmers will be on the receiving end of a big economic hit if the U.S. government doesn’t provide relief from the proposed agricultural tariffs threatened by China, Canada, Mexico and Europe. We have the latest from Washington. California’s pear harvest will be down this year, but prices for the crop will rise. Wild pigs are back i ...…

Trade issues and threatened tariffs with several foreign countries, especially China, pose a risk to the state’s agricultural exports. Farmers need workers. And the prospects for getting easier access to skilled foreign agricultural labor are dim, due to the immigration issues currently facing the U.S. Two pests are back on the CA farm scene: W ...…

The single biggest agricultural commodity in California is dairy, which produces more than six billion dollars in revenue a year. But dairy farmers in the Golden State are weathering a big storm. About 230 dairy operations in California have closed during the last five years. Not helping the survival of dairy in California is all the uncertaint ...…

The outbreak of Virulent Newcastle Disease in poultry flocks in Southern California is growing. We have the details. 1.4 million Californians have no access to broadband internet at any speed. And that includes many farm areas of California. We find out why high speed internet access is vital to the success of farming in the Golden State in the ...…

The on-again, off-again, Trump-mandated tariffs are on again. At least, at this moment. This time, the target are imports of steel and aluminum from our closest neighbors, Canada, Mexico as well as the European Union. Retaliations may be hitting the exports of California’s farmers and ranchers. We have that report. Is the food from Farmers Mark ...…

A combination of Congressional Democrats and conservative Republicans voted down the 2018 farm bill last week. We’ll tell you why, and offer the latest assessment for when it will come up to a vote again in Congress. Apparently, we’re friends with China again. We report on progress in US/China trade talks and the tariffs that did not materializ ...…

This week, there’s good news and not-so-good news for California farmers when it comes to proposed reservoir projects and the state’s almond growers. What is the future for cherries in California? A local farm advisor says the changing weather will have a serious impact. California’s flower growers love Mother’s Day more than Valentine’s Day, f ...…

Can atmospheric river events be converted into groundwater storage? Researchers offer clues to this possibility. Who will pay for Oroville Dam spillway repairs? The Feds say, “not us!” Stockpiling vaccine to ward off an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Is the addition of biochar to the soil practical on California’s farms? Crop reports.…

Local farmers are still assessing and attempting to mitigate damage due to last year’s heavy rains. We visit one area walnut grower to find out what he’s doing to insure a healthy walnut crop. More and more California ag officials are concerned about the ramifications of the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs, and the blowback that Califor ...…

California’s farmers are starting to get a handle on crop conditions after a year of whipsaw weather, including atmospheric rivers with torrential downpours, plus an abnormally warm winter followed by a late season freeze. We look at some of the damage being uncovered around California’s farms, including a declaration of disaster for one crop i ...…

The annual Stockton Asparagus festival is happening this weekend, but how many more years can it exist with the steep decline in Delta-area asparagus production? Why has this popular vegetable fallen on hard times locally?As if our fragile waterway systems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta didn’t have enough problems, a nutria - a 20-pound, l ...…

California’s farmers are scrambling to find foreign customers for their produce, goods that were earmarked for China. But with the US-China tariff battle escalating by the day, there is a lot of uncertainty for the state’s farmers. We have the details. Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District has voted - despite a lot of opposition - t ...…

The stakes are increasing in the U.S. and China tariff poker game. And California’s farmers are more at risk. Which commodities are facing higher costs to be shipped to China? We have that report. Central Valley Farm workers are still a target of Immigration authorities, even those without criminal records. We take a snowshoe stroll into the Si ...…

Her blog is called Fat Girl Running and her friends and fans affectionately call her The Mirnavator. Mirna Valerio runs marathons and ultras and changes perceptions on a daily basis. Looking for a little Mirnavation? You’ve come to the right place!

Are repercussions about to hit California Agriculture due to President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum from China? Oh yes…and they’ve already begun. We’ve got the details. The USDA has released it’s 10 year agricultural production outlook forecast…and it’s not pretty. Roof rats: they’re not just for your attic anymore. These hungry rodent ...…