California Agriculture

Wildfires increasingly threaten California’s agricultural sector, posing serious risks to farming, ranching, and food systems. We conducted a survey of 505 California farmers and ranchers affected by wildfires between 2017 and 2023. Main findings show that wildfires’ impacts on producers are extensive and range from mild to catastrophic, with both short and long-term repercussions, regardless of their exposure level. Producers play a central role in community emergency wildfire risk response and management by reducing fuel loads, creating defensible space, and leveraging their fire management expertise for themselves and their neighbors. Many producers lack a robust financial safety net, particularly among vulnerable populations, which points to the need to increase access to recovery resources, including insurance and disaster assistance programs. We find an urgent need for policy reforms, improved support, targeted extension programs, and integrated coordination mechanisms. Producers are our overlooked allies in building widespread wildfire resilience. Enhanced collaborative efforts among producers, fire professionals, and agricultural support organizations are thus imperative to co-create and implement strategies that ensure the long-term sustainability and economic viability of California’s agricultural communities.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires stakeholder participation in developing groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) to ensure the reliability of groundwater resources. Groundwater models became widely used in GSP development (e.g., to evaluate management actions). This study explores stakeholder perceptions of the benefits and challenges of using these models in GSP development and of models’ abilities to deal with uncertainties arising from existing data gaps. Qualitative interviews and minutes from groundwater advisory committee meetings from three groundwater basins reveal that groundwater models can improve stakeholders’ understanding of the groundwater system and help stakeholders identify management actions. However, model complexity and uncertainty in terms of hydrogeological processes and data gaps hinder stakeholders’ full understanding of the model development and results. Modelers should leverage stakeholder knowledge to build trust and collaboratively improve model accuracy through active participation in the modeling process. To prevent misunderstanding, future and ongoing processes should prioritize transparent communication about the model design, assumptions, and limitations. In general, SGMA’s regulatory process facilitates decision-making amid uncertainty and ensures lasting collaboration between modelers and stakeholders.

Coyote brush is a native shrub common on California coastal prairies. It is largely unpalatable to cattle and is an aggressive encroacher on open prairies; as such, it is a threat to livestock production on some of California’s most productive rangelands. This experiment assessed the effectiveness of four common herbicides and three application methods to control coyote brush. Glyphosate, imazapyr, triclopyr, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were analyzed using foliar spray and drizzle applications. Only glyphosate and imazapyr were analyzed using basal bark injection. All applications resulted in a short-term decrease in coyote brush cover, but plants that were treated with the selective herbicides triclopyr or 2,4-D appeared to recover after a year. The nonselective herbicides glyphosate and imazapyr performed well 12 months after application. Glyphosate and imazapyr performed similarly in controlling both large and small plants. No difference existed when comparing foliar spray and drizzle application methods, but both outperformed basal bark injection. As in previous studies, the drizzle method proved the most effective, requiring less labor and chemical than foliar application, and less threat of drift to non-target species. These results suggest that coyote brush can be controlled through both foliar spray and drizzle applications of glyphosate or imazapyr.

California farmworkers experience lower health outcomes and underutilize health services compared with the general population, impacting their well-being and farm productivity. Employer sponsored health insurance facilitates access to health services and represents one method for improving farmworker health outcomes, but more knowledge is needed to promote employee uptake and utilization. From 2021 to 2023, we surveyed 497 vineyard workers in Napa County on their views of health insurance. Offering insurance has a large impact on benefits satisfaction. However, satisfaction is limited and uptake low when employers contribute less than 80% to the annual premium. This is principally because when the cost to them is greater, farm employees opt out of health insurance to avoid wage reductions to prioritize other essential living costs. Seasonal workers opt out at especially high rates because they are offered the lowest employer premium contributions and are simultaneously the lowest earners.

Waterfowl Alert Network data help assess the risk of avian influenza H5N1.

UC experts offer tips on testing drinking water and rehabilitating gardens after an urban wildfire.

A medida que el clima continue cambiando, los riesgos a la agricultura seguirán creciendo.