Food And Farm News
4-23-2025
Farm technology showcased at Ventura County field day
A drone that performs multiple functions on the farm; a self-driving strawberry harvester; smart valves that manage irrigation; a software-powered system for irrigating and weeding; and a machine that weeds, thins and fertilizes. Those are the latest innovations that five agricultural technology companies demonstrated at a University of California field day in Ventura County this month. “We’re trying to pair up growers, startup companies and our academics to trial and validate technologies that will hopefully improve them, get them to stick and the growers to adopt them,” said Gabe Youtsey, UC Davis chief innovation officer.
Ranchers grapple with livestock losses as wolf population grows
With California wolf populations expanding and attacks on livestock on the rise, the state announced this month a new phase of managing the protected species, saying it will consider allowing more aggressive forms of nonlethal hazing to deter the predators. But frustrated ranchers say the new provisions do little to address problem wolves and their most significant cost, which is not from direct livestock kills but from stress-related impacts due to wolf presence, with cattle losing weight and failing to conceive. A new study by researchers at the University of California estimated such indirect losses at $1.4 million to $3.4 million in 2023. “This conflict is real and escalating,” said Ken Tate, UC Cooperative Extension specialist. “People are not crying wolf.”
Groundwater official calls for support for farming communities
California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act has reshaped groundwater use for many farmers and other groundwater users in recent years. This month, state water agencies signaled their intention to implement even stronger measures to prevent groundwater overdraft and related impacts such as land subsidence. “It’s going to cause a significant ask on land transition, so there will have to be a considerable state effort in these areas because you are dealing with a lot of ag transition, jobs and community impacts,” said Paul Gosselin, Department of Water Resources deputy director for sustainable groundwater management.
Annual report shows major declines in farmland values
The value of much of California’s farmland declined from 2023 to 2024, according to figures published last month by the state’s chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Authors of the ASFMRA chapter’s annual Trends report attributed the declines in farmland value to multiple factors, including low prices for many crops, high inflation and interest rates, and overall high operating costs. Farmland subject to groundwater pumping restrictions saw some of the steepest value declines, with farmland in parts of the San Joaquin Valley that depend entirely on groundwater losing more than half its value in the space of a year.
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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