Regulations
What the Organic Specialty Credential Means for Crop Advising
The CCA Organic Specialty connects production knowledge with organic compliance, but it does not replace an organic certifier’s authority or make an adviser an instant…
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Timely updates and useful context for the people who grow, advise and lead agriculture.
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Business
Getting California Ag Tech From Grower Problem to Working Field
UC ANR Connect emphasizes customer discovery and commercial readiness, while a Salinas incubator offers another route past a practical obstacle: securing access to working fields.
Walnuts
Walnut Mold Risk Starts Before Harvest, UC Research Shows
Reports of mold after the wet 2025 walnut harvest underscore a broader risk: UC research shows infection can begin at bloom, while hull damage and…
Almonds
Bee Access Boosts Independence Almond Yield, but Hive Rate Remains Unsettled
A two-year Independence study found higher yields with honey bee access. Its visitation results do not establish a universal stocking rate or show which rate…
Almonds
Before Fall Fertilizer, Check Whether Trees Can Use It
Tissue results alone do not explain every weak orchard block. Review irrigation, water quality and soil conditions before choosing postharvest nutrients or amendments.
Almonds
Almond rejects diverge for Nonpareil and Independence
Early Sacramento Valley receipts show lower Nonpareil rejects but higher Independence rejects, a split that complicates the improved overall quality figure.
Almonds
Wet Almond Harvest: Manage Drying Before Hauling, Track Quality by Block
Keep hull moisture, orchard-floor conditions and huller readiness in view during rain-disrupted harvest, then use block records to investigate quality losses.
Regulations
USDA seeks nominees for three organic standards board seats
Applications are due December 28 for three National Organic Standards Board seats, including an organic producer representative, with five-year terms beginning in January 2027.
Labor
DWC proposes public provider directories, electronic network filings
Comments are due December 11 on proposed California workers’ compensation rules covering provider directories, electronic submissions and network administration.
Regulations
DPR releases 2025 pesticide air reports with laboratory data gaps
Valid measurements fell below health-based screening levels and regulatory targets, DPR says, but a laboratory recall leaves incomplete coverage for two chemicals.
Row Crops
Safety-net payments offset most field-crop losses, researchers find
A university analysis puts nine major U.S. crops near break-even for 2023-2025 after safety-net payments, but that national result does not measure individual farm finances.
Regulations
AMS seeks seed paperwork comments by December 22
USDA is seeking input on Federal Seed Act recordkeeping burdens as it prepares to request renewed and revised information collection approval.