Food And Farm News
May 13, 2026
Young farmers talk policies during Capitol advocacy visit
Participants of the California Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers, a program that supports agriculturalists between the ages of 18 and 35, converged in Sacramento last month for a day of advocacy. The YF&R participants spoke with lawmakers and their staff about policy issues such as a proposed tax credit to address unintended consequences of the state’s agricultural overtime law, compensation for cattle ranchers impacted by gray wolves, and regulations limiting the use of self-driving tractors on California farms. Jennifer Cortez, a Farm Bureau member based in Sacramento County, said it was her first time joining the Calling on the Capitol event. “Throw me on a farm and I know a lot about livestock and animals, but this is where the disconnect happens,” she said. “This is exactly where we need to be in order to have our voices heard.”
USDA announces $9 million for cling peach tree removal
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will make available up to $9 million to fund the removal of cling peach orchards by growers whose long-term contracts with Del Monte Foods were voided following the company’s bankruptcy and the closure of its cannery in Modesto. In business for 139 years, Del Monte contracted about 35% of California’s cling peaches last year. The funding from USDA will support the removal of up to 420,000 cling peach trees, or approximately 3,000 acres. “We’re grateful for the swift action taken to protect peach growers, the peach industry, their families and the rural communities that depend on this industry,” Rich Hudgins, president and CEO of the California Canning Peach Association, said in a statement.
Scientists aim to reduce cost of making lab-grown chocolate
Chocolate remains a favorite treat for Americans. A 2024 report from the National Confectioners Association found that 65% of U.S. consumers eat chocolate, driving $21.4 billion in confectionery sales. But the future of chocolate is under pressure because cacao plants, which produce the cocoa beans used to make chocolate, are struggling in key growing regions. Excessive heat, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and flooding have already caused significant cocoa crop failures in Ivory Coast, the world’s leading producer of cocoa beans. Farmers are seeing lower yields, dying trees and in some cases total crop loss. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, are working with California Cultured, a Sacramento-based food-technology company, to develop a new way to source cocoa: growing it directly from plant cells in a lab. With grants from the National Science Foundation and BioMADE, the research team is working to lower production costs and create a more reliable, sustainable source of chocolate.
Forest fuel treatments reduce wildfire and save money
Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The study, which was led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, estimated that the treatments, such as forest thinning and prescribed burns, prevented $2.8 billion in losses, reduced wildfire spread and fire severity. “Fuel treatments and forest management are critically underfunded public goods,” said lead author Frederik Strabo, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. “Our results suggest that when fewer resources are available to agencies like the Forest Service, more of the economic burden of wildfires falls on the public.”
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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