Brad Hooker

Higher costs, tighter credit and sharp market swings are reshaping farm decisions, as new Terrain analyses show why fewer acres, thinner margins and smarter timing now matter more than ever for growers and producers across multiple commodities.

A flesh-eating parasite once eradicated from the U.S. is moving north again, prompting California cattle and dairy producers to heighten vigilance over animal health and biosecurity.

County officials warn the state’s predator policies are failing on the ground, as rising wolf and mountain lion conflicts collide with leadership turnover and renewed calls to rethink how California manages apex predators.

The Trump administration is warning California to abandon its proposed agricultural land equity framework, arguing it violates constitutional limits on race-based policy just as a state task force finalizes sweeping recommendations to reshape land access, ownership, and stewardship.

Reps. Jim Costa and Adam Gray are rolling out a new federal water infrastructure package aimed at expanding storage, streamlining permitting and accelerating long-delayed projects as Central Valley water agencies rally behind what they call a pragmatic push to address California’s deepening water crisis.

JBS will permanently shut down its Riverside beef processing plant early next year, cutting 374 jobs as the world’s largest meatpacker restructures its operations amid tight cattle supplies and continued volatility in the U.S. beef market.

California water policy is splitting in two directions — with the Trump administration pushing to ramp up Delta pumping while the Newsom administration shifts toward multi-benefit projects.

A bipartisan federal biotechnology commission traveled through California’s Central Valley this week, meeting with researchers, farmers and industry leaders to examine how agricultural innovation could bolster U.S. supply chains and national security.

California’s infrastructure is aging faster than it’s being repaired and a new statewide report shows the consequences. The 2025 Infrastructure Report Card gives the state a C-, warning that climate risks, outdated systems and funding gaps are pushing critical roads, water systems and public facilities toward failure.