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U.S. wine industry offsets sales decline with premiumization, niche offerings

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:11:00 -0400

Producers are leaning into premium, low‑alcohol and niche wine categories as overall U.S. wine volumes decline and consumer tastes evolve.

Farmers squeezed between pesticide limits and delayed alternatives

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:05:00 -0400

California lawmakers are pressing pesticide regulators over slow approvals, uneven enforcement and health risks, while farm groups warn growers cannot lose existing tools without faster access to safer alternatives.

Low-water crops for SGMA meet high-cost reality

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:04:00 -0400

PPIC panelists warned that low-water crops may help growers adapt to SGMA, but they won’t erase the financial pressures reshaping San Joaquin Valley agriculture.

Winegrape growers put vineyards on ice

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:03:00 -0400

California winegrape growers are mothballing vineyards to weather the market slump without permanently ripping out vines.

Avocados’ daily sex switch comes down to one gene

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:01:00 -0400

Researchers have pinpointed the gene behind avocados’ unusual daily switch between female and male flowering phases, a finding that could help breeders develop new varieties faster.

Farm Hands West: Danowski to be CEO of California Citrus Mutual, Newsom reappoints Arroyo, California Agricultural Leadership Program picks

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0400

California Citrus Mutual has selected Tom Danowski as its new CEO, effective Sept. 1. Governor Gavin Newsom has reappointed Natalie Arroyo to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation board of directors. Virginia Jameson and Tawny Mata were selected to class 56 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. David Allgood, the former executive director of the California League of Conservation Voters, has died.

Lawmakers seek solution to skyrocketing goat herder wages

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:05:00 -0400

A bipartisan group of California legislators is frantically working to save the state’s goat-grazing industry from sudden collapse because of a regulatory shift that quadrupled the minimum wage for goat herders on July 1.

CAFB secures win with PG&E transmission line construction

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:04:00 -0400

California farm advocates secured new communication requirements for growers affected by a major PG&E transmission project near Lodi, a framework they hope will become a model for future projects.

Ag order fight shifts to compost, reporting and conservation incentives

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:03:00 -0400

Central Coast growers, researchers and environmental advocates are pressing regulators to rethink how the revised Ag Order treats compost, cover crops and reporting as the nitrogen fight moves into a new phase.

California antitrust fight puts ag at the center of a debate over market power

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:02:00 -0400

California’s AB 1776 is putting agriculture at the center of a broader fight over market power, with farmers caught between concerns over dominant buyers and fears of new legal risks.

As golden mussels spread, California wrestles with who pays — and who gets to say no

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:01:00 -0400

As golden mussels spread through California’s water system, lawmakers are scrambling to contain the invasion — and battling over who should bear the cost of keeping the destructive species out.

Farm Hands West: Newsom's new appointments, Dixon to be FarmPAC coordinator, McCollam to retire from Albertsons

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Governor Gavin Newsom has made a few new appointments. California Farm Bureau has promoted Megan Dixon to be coordinator of FarmPAC, its political fundraising arm. Sharon McCollam, the president and chief financial officer of Albertsons, plans to retire later this year.

Pesticide transparency push puts farm data in the spotlight

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:05:00 -0400

California farm groups are pushing back on broader pesticide reporting and disclosure as DPR weighs changes to SprayDays and crafts new rules for treated seeds.

Grizzly bill charges forward with ranchers caught in the path

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:04:00 -0400

California lawmakers are moving ahead with a plan to study restoring grizzly bears, despite ranchers’ warnings that the state is still struggling to manage wolves and compensate livestock losses.

Cap-and-invest report underscores ag’s stake in climate funding

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:03:00 -0400

California’s cap-and-invest program has steered hundreds of millions of dollars into farm equipment, dairy methane, water efficiency, healthy soils and rural resilience projects, underscoring agriculture’s stake in future climate funding.

Eastern broccoli could buffer California drought losses

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:01:00 -0400

A Cornell study finds that expanding East Coast broccoli production could help offset California drought losses while cutting freight costs and food miles.

Farm Hands West: Jeremy Peters resigns, Mark LeValley new president of Colorado Cattlemen's, Newsom appoints members to California OSHA

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

National Association of Conservation Districts CEO Jeremy Peters is resigning, effective September 30. Mark LeValley is the new president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Joshua Lepper to a labor seat and Cassie Hilaski to a management seat on the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards board.

Taylor Farms pulls iceberg lettuce from U.S. market

steve@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:57:51 -0400

Federal health officials have identified iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants as the source of a cyclospora outbreak that has landed nearly 100 people in the hospital in five states.

Amid uncertainty over USMCA, wine industry taking ‘all-of-the-above’ approach

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:15:00 -0400

Wine industry leaders have embraced legislation introduced by Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., that could lead to increased tariffs on Canadian goods if provincial restrictions against American alcoholic beverages aren’t lifted.

State ag board wades into SB 54 fight as packaging deadlines loom

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:05:00 -0400

California’s Board of Food and Agriculture is entering the SB 54 debate as growers warn packaging deadlines could disrupt harvests, raise costs and outpace available alternatives.

Dairies warn nitrate order could accelerate farm closures

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:04:00 -0400

California dairy groups warn a proposed groundwater order could impose unworkable costs and accelerate farm closures. Regional regulators are raising their own concerns about staffing, deadlines and implementation.

Climate squeeze could push California wine country north — and into fire danger

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:03:00 -0400

California’s top wine regions could lose ground as temperatures rise, while new vineyard opportunities farther north may come with greater wildfire risk.

California wolves rely heavily on cattle, UC Davis study finds

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:02:00 -0400

A UC Davis study found cattle made up most of the summer diet of two California wolf packs, intensifying debate over livestock losses and compensation.

CalFresh Healthy Living phase‑out leaves gaps in nutrition programs

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:01:00 -0400

The loss of the CalFresh Healthy Living program will “have a dampening impact” on local health departments’ capacity, according to the Nutrition Policy Institute.

Farm Hands West: Chapman executive director of Tulare Farm Bureau, Devon Keeler to be deputy undersecretary at CDFA

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Kerissa Chapman is the new executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau in California. Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Devon Keeler as deputy secretary for communications and external affairs for the Department of Food and Agriculture. The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners has unanimously elected Stephanie Dominguez Walton to be board president.

Coexistence bill offers ranchers a framework, but no new money

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:04:00 -0400

SB 1135 would establish a permanent framework for wildlife coexistence and wolf compensation, but ranchers are still waiting for the state funding needed to make the programs work.

California tries again to fix permitting delays for groundwater recharge

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:03:00 -0400

AB 2026 aims to help farmers and water agencies capture more high flows for groundwater recharge before brief wet weather opportunities pass them by.

DPR speeds pesticide reviews, warns deadlines could strain science

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:02:00 -0400

California pesticide regulators say they are speeding reviews and expanding transparency, but warn strict deadlines could strain complex scientific evaluations and public engagement.

Dubai chocolate craze helps pistachios defy tree nut downturn

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:01:00 -0400

The Dubai chocolate craze is helping fuel record pistachio demand, giving California growers a rare bright spot even as they brace for a much smaller crop.

Farm Hands West: California FFA transitions, Felipe Grimaldi Avileis joins UC-Davis

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

California FFA Foundation has transitioned some of its board members. Felipe Grimaldi Avileis will be an assistant professor at the University of California-Davis in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. AgWest Farm Credit has promoted Megan Huber Hill to be a senior credit review analyst.