The 2025 California table olive forecast is 44,000 tons, down 10% from last year’s crop of 48,634 tons, according to a survey conducted by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Office. Bearing acreage is estimated at 12,000, which results in a yield of 3.67 tons per acre. The Manzanillo production forecast is 41,500 tons, Sevillano production forecast is 2,400 tons, and other varieties are expected to total 100 tons.
Reported crop yields varied by both variety and growing region. Sevillano yields were reported to be lower than Manzanillo and both varieties are expected to have lower yields than last year. Insufficient labor, increasing input costs, and marketing issues continued to be major challenges for California olive growers.
SURVEY SAMPLE
There were 242 growers sampled for the survey. Reports from 192 were used to establish this forecast. The sample is designed to provide a State-level estimate of all varieties; estimates by variety are less precise.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A special thanks goes to the many olive growers who participated in the survey. Time spent completing the survey is appreciated, and helpful in estimating current condition of the olive industry in California.
The California Table Olive Forecast is funded by the California Olive Committee.
A new peer-reviewed white paper, “Detection of Foodborne Viruses in Berries – State of the Science and Considerations for the Future,” published in Food Control, presents a comprehensive appraisal of the issues associated with enteric virus (norovirus and hepatitis A) detection in berries. The authors deliberated the technical and practical issues related to currently available detection methods and called for realignment of resources towards enhanced risk management approaches across berry growing and processing to mitigate the flow of contaminated products in the global supply chain.
The international panel of academic, industry, and government experts in food virology, microbiology, food safety, and risk assessment was convened by the Frozen Food Foundation in response to heightened awareness of the risks associated with enteric viruses in the berry supply chain.
“This information represents a paradigm shift in how the entire frozen berry supply chain – from grower to retailer – can manage enteric virus safety,” said Sanjay Gummalla, PhD, Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs for the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). “It is clear we cannot achieve our food safety goals through molecular detection methods alone. Rather we need to focus on prevention strategies including high-quality agricultural water, proper irrigation methods, worker hygiene training, and adequate sanitation facilities.”
The panel explored the nuances of current sampling and testing protocols used globally across all stakeholders (industry testing and regulatory surveillance), acknowledging it works best when concentrations of the virus are high and uniform. Dr. Gummalla pointed out, “These conditions are rarely met in real-world scenarios where contamination of berries mostly occurs at low levels and heterogeneously.”
The experts reiterated the age-old caveat, that testing can never guarantee safety, as the results only apply to the specific samples tested, not entire lots/batches.
“AFFI and its members take food safety seriously, and these findings are invaluable to our effort to work with government and industry to continuously improve the safety of frozen berries and protect consumers,” concluded Dr. Gummalla.
AFFI partnered with iDecision Sciences and developed an AI-based digital platform for enteric virus risk management called EViews to transparently manage risks in the supply chain and the frozen berry industry is actively using it globally. Additionally, AFFI’s food safety zone comprises its Enteric Virus Control Program and Enteric Virus Control Specialist Training, created in collaboration with the International Food Protection Training Institute.
An official scientific journal of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) and the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Food Control is an international journal that publishes manuscripts resulting from original scientific investigation into significant food safety and food quality concerns and preventative control measures that improve public health.
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) represents America’s frozen food and beverage makers. Our members are farmers, fruit and vegetable growers, makers of prepared meals, suppliers and distributors that provide over 670,000 American jobs. We are committed to advancing food safety practices throughout the frozen food supply chain by investing in scientific research, developing and disseminating best practices and collaborating to educate. For more information about AFFI, visit www.affi.org.
The Frozen Food Foundation is the not-for-profit scientific arm of the industry that supports research and education on the nutritional, safety and societal attributes of frozen foods. For more information, visit https://affi.org/fffoundation.
Early registration discounts for the November 2-4 Annual Conference of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC) will expire on October 10 with the fee rising $40 per individual after that. The fee structure will go from $645 to $695 for members and $755 to $795 for nonmembers. A one-day only registration for Nov. 4 will remain at $295 but closes on October 13. October 10 is also the day the group’s room block expires at the conference hotel.
While there will be excellent speakers on all three days of the meeting, a highlight to note is a special panel on November 3 discussing What I wish I knew then/What I know now. Moderator for the session will be Margy Eckelkamp, leader of Farm Journal’s Top Producer brand. This role includes developing the program for Top Producer Summit, the industry’s top education event for leading-edge, business-minded farmers and ranchers. Panelists will be: Don Tyler, a management and executive coach and founder of Tyler & Associates; Paige Gilligan, CAC, a business advisor with Risk Mitigators and Advisors, LLC; and Dane Watson, founder of the consulting firm Watson’s Ag Forward and a specialist in agricultural robotics.
The panelists will address such topics as, “What actions they took to grow their businesses,” “How they adjusted their approach as they gained experience,” and “What they would do differently if they started today.” Question-and-answer time will be provided, with the opportunity to continue conversations at the reception which follows.
Behind-the-Scenes Ag Tours
The panel, and other speaker presentations on Nov. 3, will be preceded by a tour of the Beck’s Hybrids home office and facilities located in Atlanta, Indiana. The tour will include a history of Beck’s Hybrids and the Beck’s Family, a tour of their innovation center and a presentation on Beck’s Policy and Regulation Impacts. Depending on harvest progress, there may be a stop at the Husk and Sort facility to learn about their unique production process.
The guided tour of Corteva Agriscience’s global headquarters will showcase the journey of its crop protection products – from early research and innovation to manufacturing and launch. Attendees will explore key stops including product discovery, seed technology, soil and product testing, and visit the greenhouses – offering a high-level look at how solutions are developed for farmers.
About the American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC)
The American Society of Agriculture Consultants (ASAC) is a nonprofit organization whose members represent a diverse range of disciplines in the agriculture industry. ASAC’s membership is comprised primarily of experienced consultants boasting a wide array of expertise. Their business models range from sole proprietorships to leadership roles in larger, multi-consultant organizations, which cover a wide geographical area. To learn more about how ASAC can help you grow your agricultural consulting business, go to www.agconsultants.org.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced acceptance of 1.78 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) through 2025 General, Continuous, Grassland, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program enrollments.
According to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), about 25.8 million acres are currently enrolled in CRP, the agency’s flagship conservation program through which landowners, farmers and ranchers voluntarily convert marginal or unproductive cropland into vegetative cover that improves water quality, prevents erosion, restores wildlife habitat and in the case of Grassland CRP, enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices.
“What better way to celebrate CRP’s 40th anniversary and mark four decades of voluntary private lands stewardship than to announce an extremely successful 2025 enrollment for CRP’s many program options,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “I think the numbers speak for themselves; America’s agricultural producers recognize the value of preserving and protecting our most sensitive lands and are very committed to conserving our natural resources.”
FSA received offers on more than 2.6 million acres. The program’s total acreage is capped at 27 million acres for fiscal year 2025 of which 1.8 million was available for enrollment, after offsetting for expiring acres and an administrative reserve, making for a highly competitive process for those who submitted offers for CRP.
About 955,795 acres are expiring Sept. 30 this year. Producers submitted re-enrollment offers for just over 624,000 acres and offers for enrollment of new land totaled 2 million acres.
Kansas, South Dakota and Colorado hold the top three slots for accepted acres for all 2025 CRP enrollment opportunities.
The American Relief Act, 2025, extended provisions for CRP through Sept. 30, 2025.
More Information
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. Originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production, the program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.
Awards totaling approximately $1.5 million will empower farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs and strengthen local food systems and supply chain resiliency throughout the southwestern United States.
Barraza Farms is a small-scale organic farm growing mixed vegetables in Santa Cruz County.
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Southwest Regional Food Business Center are pleased to announce the first round of Business Builder Award grants to 73 small and mid-sized farm and food businesses across the Southwest region.
The Business Builder Award Program is designed to build capacity for food producers and processors by supporting infrastructure, innovation and market access. Recipients include businesses working on:
●Food safety equipment for egg processing, cleaning and grading for a pasture-raised flock, modernizing operations and improving efficiency
●Grain mill for organic heirloom flour production, which will increase supply tenfold to meet growing demand from school districts
●Meat inspection and processing equipment supporting cattle ranchers in Arizona, Nevada and Utah
●Marketing and packing supplies for small food businesses to expand into new markets; examples include spice blends, baked goods, mobile markets, farmers and fish harvesters
“These projects reflect the diversity and ingenuity of our regional food producers,” said Tracy Celio, program manager for the Southwest Regional Food Business Center. “We are thrilled to distribute Business Builder awards across the Southwest in partnership with USDA, which will address the unique needs of farmers, ranchers and food producers while strengthening local food systems with lasting impact.”
The recipients include a small, Los Angeles-based spice company, which creates authentic flavors of West Africa.
“I’m so grateful to receive this grant for Gloria’s Shito,” said founder Gloria Allorbi, whose business creates authentic flavors of West Africa. “These funds will help elevate our shipping process, improve the unboxing experience, and reduce package damage. It’s a big step toward our mission of bringing the bold flavors to more tables and our vision of making the cuisine visible in mainstream grocery spaces; starting with our direct-to-consumer platforms while we grow into retail.”
Another award recipient, Oatman Flats Ranch, is a farm in Arizona that aims to provide farm-to-fork regenerative, organic-certified food to schools, bakeries, restaurants and health-conscious consumers.
“We’re thrilled to be an integral part of building local, regenerative and organic food network infrastructure with other local participants,” said Oatman Flats Ranch co-founder Dax Hansen. “This award helps us elevate the value chain with a walk-in freezer and refrigeration unit, improved packaging equipment, and sustainable logistics with local food hubs while supporting the integrity of the products for the community we serve.”
Part of a national system of USDA food centers, the Southwest Regional Food Business Center – managed by UC ANR alongside its partners – provides coordination, technical assistance and capacity building for food and farm businesses.
The center’s work across the Southwest is led by a coalition of partners including Utah State University Extension; Utah Department of Agriculture and Food; University of Nevada, Reno Extension; Nevada Department of Agriculture; UC Agriculture and Natural Resources; Valley Vision; UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology; California Department of Food and Agriculture; Occidental College; Local First Arizona; Arizona Department of Agriculture; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; California State University, Chico; Fresno State; Kitchen Table Advisors; and San Diego Food System Alliance.
“UC ANR is proud to be part of this transformative initiative, supporting food and farm businesses across the Southwest and helping build a more resilient, diverse and competitive regional food system,” Celio said.
For a full list of the 73 awardees and project descriptions, visit https://swfoodbiz.org/business-builder/. Updates on the progress of the projects will be posted on the website and on the SWfoodbiz Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
USDA has terminated the national Regional Food Business Center program, effective Sept. 15, eliminating direct funding and training for small farmers. Over the past two years, the Southwest Regional Food Business Center has directly assisted 2,181 individuals and over 1,850 farm and food organizations to grow new businesses and strengthen local and regional food systems.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, economic growth, nutrition and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu and support our work at donate.ucanr.edu.
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), the marketing order representing California dairy producers, today announced the addition of Cynthia Kindle as Marketing Manager, U.S Retail supporting the organization’s retail brand initiatives and consumer engagement strategies.
Kindle brings more than five years of experience in managing and optimizing digital presence, executing integrated marketing campaigns, and coordinating cross-functional projects to drive brand alignment and growth. She joins CMAB from InnovAsian Cuisine, where she served as Associate Brand Manager, reporting monthly brand performance, leading e-commerce content optimization, agency management and executing shopper marketing campaigns. Prior to InnovAsian, Kindle contributed to marketing efforts at Nature’s Bakery and Nestle USA, where she gained valuable experience in reporting and analytics, cross-functional collaboration, and project and budget management.
In addition to her corporate experience, Kindle has managed freelance digital marketing projects for clients where she created targeted marketing strategies, built customer personas, and maintained brand presence across social media and online platforms.
Kindle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Pepperdine University’s Graziado School of Business Management.
“Cynthia’s ability to connect data-driven insights with creative marketing strategies makes her an extremely valuable addition to our team,” said Lizzie Werber, Director of U.S Retail of the CMAB. “Her expertise will help us further strengthen visibility for Real California Milk products and engage consumers in new and innovative ways.”
“I’m passionate about real food and the way it connects people to health, tradition, and community,” said Kindle. “I’m thrilled to be joining CMAB and to play a role in sharing the story of California dairy while supporting the farm families who make it possible.”
California is the number one dairy state with more than 1,000 family dairy farms focused on delivering the wholesome goodness of California milk while creating a more sustainable future for dairy in the state.
About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has announced eligible livestock producers will receive disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits. Sign-up begins on Monday, September 15. Livestock producers have until October 31, 2025, to apply for assistance.
“We are providing continued support for livestock producers whose livelihoods and way of life have been disrupted by catastrophic floods, wildfires, and poor forage conditions in 2023 and 2024. Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is standing shoulder to shoulder with America’s farmers and ranchers, delivering the resources they need to stay in business, feed their families, and keep our food supply strong,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “This announcement builds on the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) and the historic levels of assistance we have rolled out over the last few months, once again proving that this administration is working as quickly as possible to get help out the door and into the hands of livestock and dairy producers. USDA will continue to put farmers first and ensure they have the relief they need to weather storms and build for the future.”
Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) added,“The flooding of Tulare Lake in 2023 was devastating for the Central Valley, and I’ve worked for years to make sure our producers have the tools they need to recover. Dairy farmers faced heavy property damage, feed losses, and transportation costs from moving livestock, and today’s USDA announcement is a major step forward. Expanding the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) will help address these losses and move us closer to making our farmers and dairymen whole. I’m grateful to USDA for their partnership throughout this process and look forward to working directly with the administration to make sure we get relief into the hands of CA-22 producers as soon as possible.”
Qualifying Disaster Events
To streamline program delivery, FSA has determined eligible counties with qualifying floods and qualifying wildfires in 2023 and 2024. For losses in these counties, livestock producers are not required to submit supporting documentation for floods or wildfires. A list of approved counties is available at fsa.usda.gov/elrp.
For losses in counties not listed as eligible, livestock producers can apply for ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW but must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire occurred in the county where the livestock were physically located or would have been physically located if not for the disaster event. FSA county committees will determine if the disaster event meets program requirements.
Livestock and Producer Eligibility
For ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW, FSA is using covered livestock criteria similar to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) which includes weaned beef cattle, dairy cattle, beefalo, buffalo, bison, alpacas, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer, and sheep.
Wildfire assistance is available on non-federally managed land to participants who did not receive assistance through LFP or the ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire program delivered to producers in July of this year.
Payment Calculation
Eligible producers can receive up to 60% of one month of calculated feed costs for a qualifying wildfire or three months for a qualifying flood using the same monthly feed cost calculation that is used for LFP.
ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire and ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW have a combined payment limit of $125,000 for each program year. Producers who already received the maximum payment amount from ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire will not be eligible to receive an additional payment under ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW. Eligible producers may submit form FSA-510, Request for an Exception to the $125,000 Payment Limitation for Certain Programs, to be considered for an increased payment limit of $250,000.
Supplemental Disaster Assistance Timeline
USDA is fully committed to expediting remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Relief Act, 2025. On May 7, we launched our 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance public landing page where the status of USDA disaster assistance and block grant rollout timeline can be tracked. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov. Contact your local FSA county office for more information.
A landmark law – representing one of the most revolutionary changes to groundwater management in California history – was passed more than 10 years ago. But many farmers across the state still have not even heard of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA.
Building on the relationships cultivated by the Small Farms Network of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, a new team of educators will help small farmers understand the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Photo by Elena Zhukova
Jarin Tasnim Anika started as a SGMA technical assistance community educator for small farms with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources earlier this year. She said that of the dozens of small-scale farmers she has spoken with, “an extremely small fraction” of them had heard of SGMA.
Photo Caption: Building on the relationships cultivated by the Small Farms Network of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, a new team of educators will help small farmers understand the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Photo by Elena Zhukova
“I’ve been driving around Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties – the counties I cover – and for almost all of the small farmers, I can honestly say that I was the first person who has talked about SGMA with them,” Anika said.
GSAs are making progress toward this goal. They’re developing strategies to prevent overdraft of groundwater and are addressing a host of related problems for farmers, residents and the environment – from wells running dry to poor water quality to land subsidence.
But while GSAs are required by law to consider all “beneficial users” in the implementation of SGMA, many of them overlooked a major subset of groundwater users: small farmers. Nearly 80% of farms in California can be categorized as small-scale farms, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition of small farm (a farm with annual gross cash farm income between $1,000 and $350,000).
In 2022, UC ANR and a coalition of partners published a report, “SGMA and Underrepresented Farmers,” that analyzed, through the lens of small farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers, the Groundwater Sustainability Plans developed by the agencies.
“We reviewed these 20-year plans to see if small-scale farmers are incorporated into that planning, and the results were alarming,” said Ngodoo Atume, one of the authors of the report. “We found that across all 14 plans we reviewed, none of those agencies were considering small-scale farmers.”
The result is that many small farmers (predominantly tenant farmers) with whom Atume has met are wholly unfamiliar with SGMA.
“We asked many questions: ‘Have you heard of SGMA? Have you heard of this groundwater regulation? Have you heard of the potential cutbacks? Has the landowner shown you any notice to attend a meeting?’” Atume said. “And we get ‘no’ across the board.”
Because the impacts and benefits of SGMA for small farmers are not addressed in those plans, the 2022 report recommended more focused engagement of those stakeholders. So this year, UC ANR hired a dedicated team to provide technical assistance, education, policy analysis and outreach for small farmers.
Atume serves as the statewide coordinator, and Anika is one of five regionally based SGMA educators for small farms, part of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
The others are Erik Rodriguez (Fresno and Madera counties), Luis Paniagua (Tulare and Kings counties) and Sonia Rios (Riverside and San Bernardino counties). Another educator is currently being recruited for Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey counties.
The team of regional SGMA educators for small farms currently comprises (from top left) Erik Rodriguez, Jarin Tasnim Anika, Sonia Rios and Luis Paniagua.
Economists studied farmland parcels along the borders of neighboring GSAs, some with greater baseline overdraft (and ostensibly subject to more stringent SGMA restrictions) than others. Parcels near the administrative borders experience similar hydrological, climactic and agronomic conditions – the only difference being the expectation of greater future regulation.
The researchers then compared the differences in the planting of new perennial crops and the drilling of new wells between neighboring parcels of farmland, at a time before SGMA passed in 2014 and after SGMA, in 2020 and 2021.
“We found that SGMA had no statistically significant effect on the differences,” said Ellen Bruno, associate professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley.
In other words, farmers didn’t seem to be altering their practices in the face of impending regulation. Bruno and co-author Nick Hagerty concluded it appears that, in SGMA’s early years, potential restrictions were perceived to be so far in the future that short-term considerations – like well-drilling in response to drought or planting due to favorable markets – were taking precedence.
“The implication of people continuing business as usual so far is that the groundwater will continue to be overdrafted,” Bruno added. “And, of course, the point of SGMA is to try to correct that and bring the basins into sustainability.”
She said that Atume’s community education team can help small farmers learn more about groundwater management and take appropriate action.
“There’s a lot of variation in what people know; big farmers have many more resources to plug into changing regulations,” Bruno said. “I think Ngodoo’s team could be really instrumental in helping everybody stay informed – both on how they’re going to be regulated and what they can do to respond to the regulation.”
SGMA education team sees uneven implementation across agencies
Management actions outlined in the Groundwater Sustainability Plans include groundwater allocations, taxes or fees based on users’ extraction, pumping restrictions, and efficiency incentives, among other policy instruments (see a database summarizing strategies in those plans).
And while the agencies have laid out their long-term plans and actions, implementation has been uneven and inconsistent.
“It’s a very small percentage of GSAs that are actually implementing actions right now that might impact the stakeholders,” Atume explained. “In that sense, SGMA is still at the very beginning stages, and so people are not worried about it.”
Nevertheless, the team wants to begin a step-by-step education process. Piggybacking on personal networks and events established by their UC ANR peers, the regional educators are finding opportunities to introduce themselves and build trust with local farmers. They are planning workshops for later this year.
Eventually, they want farmers to see them as people to contact if they have questions about groundwater.
“If you have any questions related to a random fee that you’re getting, or somebody came out and told you that you have to install this specific thing on your irrigation infrastructure, you can call me,” said Rodriguez, the educator for Fresno and Madera counties. “I’ll help you figure it out and explain it.”
Some farmers are already reaching out, such as a small farmer in Merced County who recently experienced quite a shock. According to Anika, the local GSA sent an invoice to the farmer with a penalty of $15,000 for overextraction of groundwater. She was referred to Anika, who explained that the notice was sent to make the farmer aware of her potential penalty.
Communication barriers a major challenge for small farmers
Beyond the task of distilling the complex, technical wording of SGMA into an easy-to-understand format, language barriers are another challenge.
For example, the majority of small farmers Anika has met with are Hmong, and she expressed gratitude for the linguistic help of staff research associate Vong Moua. Other members of the UC ANR Small Farms Network who speak non-English languages have helped with outreach to speakers of Spanish, Iu Mien, Punjabi and Cantonese.
A complicating factor is that GSAs will usually send flyers and mailings only to the owners of land – not the tenant farmers.
“Reaching tenant farmers is difficult because it requires very targeted outreach in their language to engage them,” Atume said. “Even for GSAs that have made a lot of progress with outreach, most times those materials still stop at the landowner, and then the responsibility then lies with the landowner to communicate that information to the small farmers.”
On their end, the community educators are also struggling with a dearth of information for crops grown by their clientele. According to Anika, Hmong farmers, for example, cultivate herbs, spices and seasonal vegetables under mixed cropping systems that have not been studied extensively by California academics, in terms of crop water use.
While growers of almonds have a lot of research-backed information about their crops’ water requirements, small-scale farmers often lack those resources.
“As a scientific team, we always try to give data-based recommendations, but at this point, I can only provide theory in our discussions – not data – so that’s another challenge I face all the time,” Anika explained. “I think people are trying their best to gather more information, but there’s just not a lot of research on these crops that are very culturally focused.”
Ngodoo Atume, SGMA technical assistance for small farms coordinator, said that the team is planning workshops to spread awareness of the historic groundwater law. Photo by Evett Kilmartin
SGMA educators cultivate partnerships with GSAs
Another key task for the SGMA education team is engaging with the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies themselves. The team members regularly attend agency meetings to share feedback and farmer perspectives.
“For some of these GSAs, there is – for the first time – someone consistently attending the meetings and providing small-farmer input on agenda items,” Atume explained. “That’s a huge part of the team’s work.”
Rodriguez, in Fresno and Madera counties, said he is first familiarizing himself with the GSAs (and their respective Groundwater Sustainability Plans) before reaching out to small farmers to explain the nuances of SGMA. He wants to know the details of those plans and the exact scope of his role – and then prepare the most relevant and accessible resources for when he approaches the growers.
“We’re finally at a point now where we’re starting to consult with different GSAs on how their work is conveyed in the outreach materials,” Rodriguez said. “We’re trying to make these materials GSA- or subbasin-specific, and we want their seal of approval and logo on it.”
One community educator said more research is needed on the water requirements of culturally significant crops for small farmers. Photo by Elena Zhukova
Building and strengthening relationships with the GSAs is a high priority for the SGMA team members, as they get a better sense of the unique political pressures, legal situations or local interests that each agency must navigate. Anika noted that some GSAs have been eager to learn more about the needs of small farmers, and Rodriguez has found that agencies in his area are receptive to hearing from the community.
“They are open – they do answer questions, they do schedule meetings,” he said.
As the team assists GSAs in communicating with under-engaged stakeholders, Atume believes small farmers can be incorporated more meaningfully in the implementation of SGMA. She hopes all groundwater users contribute to a future where water is available for communities, agriculture and ecological health.
“Personally, I think everyone should comply with SGMA; I don’t think some stakeholders should comply and others shouldn’t,” she said. “But at the same time, I do think that there should not be disproportionate impact on any particular group of stakeholders. Overall, we all need to move towards sustainability.”
The SGMA education team is supported by funds from the state Legislature through the California Department of Water Resources’ Underrepresented Communities, California Tribes and Small Farmers Groundwater Technical Assistance Program. — By Michael Hsu, UCANR
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, economic and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system. This policy direction enacts common-sense reforms that modernize and streamline federal wildfire system. Concurrently, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued his own memorandum to streamline capabilities and strengthen federal, state, and local partnerships.
“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness. We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “Secretary Burgum and I are committed to leading a bold transformation of the federal wildfire system to help our communities, neighbors, and partners better prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfires.”
“For too long, outdated and fragmented systems have slowed our ability to fight fires and protect lives. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “By streamlining federal capabilities and strengthening our partnerships with state, tribal and local teams, we will deliver the common-sense reforms needed to safeguard our communities, our lands and our future.”
The memorandum marks a decisive shift away from outdated systems and fragmented responses that have too often hindered federal firefighting and wildfire response efforts. In response to President Trump’s Executive Order 14308 – Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response, USDA will unify operations, strengthen partnerships with state, Tribal, and local governments, and modernize tools and training to better protect American communities from the escalating threat of wildfire.
A Unified Federal Effort
Through this plan, USDA and DOI will work in lockstep to unify federal wildland fire capabilities, eliminate fragmentation, and deliver a forward-looking, mission-ready system that prioritizes common sense, efficiency, and results.
