Food And Farm News
June 3, 2026
New school sawmill spurs logging interest
The logging industry’s decline in Northern California during the past few decades led many sawmills to shutter, affecting communities that had long depended on timber production. But there is still a need for logging as state agencies such as Cal Fire increasingly back logging and forest-thinning projects as key strategies for reducing wildfire risk. In Trinity County, local teachers and others in the community worked to secure grants that helped Hayfork High School begin construction on its own sawmill in 2024. Last month, the school held a grand opening for the sawmill, which is now nearly complete. The hope is that the sawmill will stoke much-needed interest in the forestry field. “It’s important to support logging through projects like this because our forests don’t stop growing,” said Ren Winters, a forester and former Hayfork High School student. “We have not been good stewards of our public lands for decades, and programs like this will ensure a workforce for the future.”
H-2A rule change puts spotlight on work visa program
After years of rising labor costs, some farmers have seen relief during the past several months, with those who hire foreign guestworkers benefiting from a Trump administration rule implemented last October. The new rule changed how the H-2A program’s minimum wage, called the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, is calculated, effectively lowering it in California from $19.97 to the state minimum wage of $16.90. About 70% of H-2A employers in California adjusted pay to match the new minimum in the first six months after the rule was implemented, according to research by Zachariah Rutledge, assistant professor and extension specialist at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, the rule faces multiple challenges in California, including a lawsuit filed in December by the United Farm Workers and a proposed state law that would establish a minimum wage of $19.75 for agricultural guestworkers and local employees hired by the same farms.
Nutrition program benefits growers and inmates alike
Inmates at California State Prison, Solano in Vacaville say a small change in California prisons has made a big difference for people incarcerated in the state. For the past three years, the prison has received regular deliveries of California-grown fruits and vegetables. The locally grown produce comes from Harvest of the Month, a joint initiative between Oakland-based nonprofit Impact Justice, University of California’s Nutrition Policy Institute and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The program was created to provide nutrition access for incarcerated people while creating new markets for farmers. It also helps CDCR comply with a 2022 state law that as of last December requires that at least 60% of the food purchased by state institutions be grown or produced in California. Since launching at three prisons in 2023, Harvest of the Month has expanded to serve all 30 adult prisons in California. “This is something really big for the prison community,” said Brian Cortez, a Solano State Prison inmate from Stockton.
State targets sharpshooters from Costco grapevines
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is working with Costco Wholesale and county agricultural officials to track down and destroy grapevines that could be infested with invasive glassy-winged sharpshooters. The leaf-hopping insects were found on grapevine shipments sold at select Costco locations in California between April 21 and May 21. The pest threatens California vineyards because it can spread the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, which is fatal to grapevines. Counties with Costco locations suspected to have received shipments of potentially infested nursery plants include: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Kings, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Yolo and Yuba. CDFA has asked people who bought grapevines from Costco in affected counties to isolate the plants and contact their local county agriculture department.
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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