Food And Farm News
7-23-2025
More winegrape farmers navigate season without guaranteed buyers
Amid a global downturn in wine consumption, an increasing number of California winegrape growers are cultivating their crops without a winery contract this season. Without a guaranteed buyer, Sacramento County farmer Max Francesconi is focused on maintaining grape quality while carefully managing costs. “We are doing our best to keep expenses down,” Francesconi told Ag Alert® in a field report. “We made minor adjustments to save a bit of money but still keep up the quality. You still have to do your preventative maintenance and keep it growing and keep high-quality grapes on the vine so you could market them towards the end of the year.”
Farmer harvests bountiful blueberry crop in Mendocino County
Mendocino County farmer Taylor Serres Murnig reported harvesting a bountiful blueberry crop in late June and early July. “We had some of the best quality we’ve seen in the past couple years,” Serres Murnig told Ag Alert® in a field report. The fresh-market blueberry season typically lasts two to three weeks, or four weeks with perfect weather. This year, hot weather on the North Coast shortened Serres Murnig’s harvest period, she said, adding that the farm had enough longtime employees to harvest the crop during the short window. “You’re having that dance with Mother Nature,” she said, “and she is always in the lead.”
Tulare County dairy rebounds after recovering from bird flu
At least one dairy in Tulare County has made a full recovery this summer, a year after many in the region suffered losses from bird flu. Blake Wilbur, whose Tulare dairy has 1,600 milking Jersey cows, saw about a 25% reduction in milk production over a two- to three-week period last fall. “We, fortunately, did not lose many, if any, cows. Dairies with Holsteins suffered worse, and those that got bird flu during the summer heat fared much worse,” Wilbur said, noting that his dairy’s milk production had not only returned to normal this year but surpassed last year’s levels, likely due to favorable weather. “Our cows have bounced back,” Wilbur told Ag Alert® in a field report.
New resource aims to help aging farmers plan for succession
Nearly half of California farmers are 65 and older, and many have yet to plan for what happens to their farms when they retire. For those without family heirs, that decision can be especially complex. A new set of resources from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, aims to help those producers explore options for succession so that farmland can stay in production and continue supporting local communities. “We are seeing more and more farmers and ranchers who have not identified an heir or person they’re expecting to pass the farm or ranch onto,” Nebraska Extension educator Jessica Groskopf said. “A lot of resources for succession focus on the next generation, but the reality is that for many of these folks that doesn’t apply.”
For more information about any story in Food and Farm News, contact the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division at 916-561-5550 or email news@cfbf.com. Connect with us on Facebook, X, or Instagram: @CAFarmBureau.
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