Nonprofit program aims to bring more rice to delta
The Nature Conservancy’s 9,200-acre Staten Island Preserve in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in San Joaquin County includes 4,500 acres of rice acreage. The crop provides a surrogate wetland habitat for sandhill cranes, white-faced ibises and other migratory birds. The environmental nonprofit launched a program in 2019 offering financial aid to delta farmers interested in growing rice. Photos/Manola Secaira
Cyclospora fallout hits California farmers
A lettuce field is destroyed this month in Santa Cruz County amid a decline in fresh produce sales following this summer’s cyclospora outbreak. While the outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico, the economic impact has largely fallen on California, which supplies most U.S. lettuce. Photo/Vicky Boyd
Processed tomato growers hope for market recovery
Harvest has started for processing tomatoes in California, with most growers expected to wrap up by the end of October. Photo/Vicky Boyd
Local farmers grow malting barley for brewing beer
Different kiln-drying times for malted barley give beer different flavors and colors. Photo/Vicky Boyd
Study: Maximize winter cereal yields with less water
In this February 2024 aerial photo, small grain plots grow at the University of California’s West Side Research and Extension Center in Fresno County. The main field is an October 2023 planting that received 4 inches of irrigation. UC researchers planted the two-year trial to examine ways to maximize the productivity of winter cereal crops with as little water as possible. Photo/Mark Lundy, University of California
CDFA takes steps to stop spread of cotton leafhopper
Delaying harvest has helped blackbird populations
A flock of tricolored blackbirds takes flight in a weedy silage field where they are nesting. The bird’s protected status has complicated harvest for farmers, who must postpone their work until the birds leave. The delay can make the crop unusable as feed. A federal program compensates farmers for their losses and has helped boost blackbird populations. Photo/Ian Souza-Cole
Fall rains, later harvests reduced rice quality, yields
To help decomposition, rice straw is incorporated into the soil after harvest in a flooded field near Williams in Colusa County last month. Later harvests this past fall hurt rice quality and yields as farmers struggled with rainy conditions and muddy fields. Photo/Vicky Boyd
Hemp producers weigh potential fallout of new law
Industrial hemp is grown at a Sonoma County field. Though the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production, Congress has tightened the definition of hemp by imposing strict limits on intoxicating hemp products. Some hemp advocates say the new federal limits could have catastrophic impacts on the fledgling industry. Photo/Courtesy of Sonoma County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures
Farmers plant less cotton in face of stagnant market
A harvester is in place at a Merced County cotton field to continue picking the 2025 pima cotton crop. California farmers planted 91,000 acres of pima and nearly 16,000 acres of upland cotton this year—a 33% decline in total cotton acreage from 2024 as the industry faces one of the worst markets in memory, according to the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association. Photo/Gino Pedretti III