Food And Farm News
April 1, 2026
Sonoma County dairy farmer completes leadership program
Sonoma County dairy farmer Jennifer Beretta was among 10 leaders honored last month by the American Farm Bureau Federation as graduates of the organization’s 12th Partners in Advocacy Leadership class. PAL is designed to help agricultural leaders accelerate their engagement abilities and solidify their roles as advocates for agriculture. “I learned a lot of leadership skills,” Beretta said of PAL. A past president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and current member of the board of directors, Beretta helps run the Beretta Family Dairy in Santa Rosa. The certified-organic, pasture-based dairy supplies to the Petaluma-based creamery Clover Sonoma and has been recognized for its decades of environmental stewardship and conservation practices. “My No. 1 goal here at the dairy is to continue to tell our story,” Beretta said.
California's top exports to China fell by 64% in 2025
California agricultural exports to China saw a 64% decline last year, with the top 13 commodities in total falling from an average of $1.55 billion to $554 million, according to new research published by the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. After joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China became one of California agriculture’s fastest-growing foreign markets. That trajectory changed in 2018 and 2019 with the first U.S.-China trade war. Then, in 2025, while California farmers were still recovering from the effects of that trade conflict, the U.S. imposed tariffs on Chinese imports, and China responded with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including many California-grown farm products. Some of the largest losses caused by the recent trade war occurred in California’s tree nut industry. The value of annual pistachio exports to China declined from 2024 to 2025 by about $478 million, while almond exports fell by roughly $228 million.
Pest control innovator shares take on biopesticides
Pam Marrone, founder and former CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, now ProFarm Group, shared her insights on biological pesticides, or biologicals, in a recent interview with Ag Alert®. Marrone said she believes that by 2040 biologicals will be more widely used than traditional pesticides on farms. “It all comes down to education,” said Marrone, who is an entomologist by training. “The products are there. There’s good science behind them. There’s plenty of registered products and more coming every day.” She noted there are just nine new chemical active ingredients awaiting approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whereas there are about 70 biologicals awaiting EPA approval. “The innovation in biologicals is huge,” Marrone said. “We’re going to have lots of registered products, so it’s about bridging the gap between products registered and how to use them on the farm.”
California Farm Bureau applauds Farmworkers Day
California Farm Bureau recognized efforts in the state Legislature to honor farmworkers' vital role in California agriculture through the designation of Farmworkers Day. Assembly Bill 2156—signed into law last week—renames March 31 as Farmworkers Day, formerly Cesar Chavez Day, to acknowledge the commitment and contributions farmworkers make to sustain the state's agricultural production. “California is the leading grower of fruits, vegetables and nuts in the United States, and farmworkers are essential to ensuring crops are planted, worked, and harvested on tight timelines,” California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass said. “Farmworkers are at the heart of every harvest, and their contributions deserve recognition on both this special day, and year-round as well.”
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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